Sweet Child of Mine
by xxLittle Black Dressxx
Summary: Addison decides to have a baby on her own, and turns to an old friend for help.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This story is set after the latest Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice finales. It's how I would like to see the whole Addison-baby storyline go down. It's probably wishful thinking, but I hope you like it anyway! :P Here's chapter one of a multi-part story. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated!

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><p><strong><em>Sweet Child of Mine<em>**

**Chapter 1: If You Asked Me To**

Alex frowned as an unknown number flashed on his cell phone. "Alex Karev," he answered.

"Alex, I mean Karev, no Alex," a female voice stammered on the other end of the line.

Alex could recognize that voice anywhere. The question was why was she calling him? "Dr. Montgomery, is everything okay?" Alex asked with concern.

"Oh, yeah, I'm, I'm fine," Addison assured him. "I was just, uh, I have a question to ask you and I think it would be better if I asked you face to face instead of over the phone."

"You live in LA," Alex reminded her. "That makes face to face conversations a little difficult."

"Well, uh, I'm actually in Seattle right now," Addison admitted.

"Really," Alex asked in surprise. "Are you here for a case? The chief never mentioned anything about you being in town."

"I'm not here for a case," Addison informed him. "The chief doesn't know I'm here. Nobody knows I'm here, and I'd appreciate it if you kept it that way, okay?"

"Okay," Alex said hesitantly. "Dr. Montgomery, are you sure everything's okay?"

"Yes, everything's fine. So, um, I'm staying in the Archfield, in room 2214. Can you meet me there?"

"My shift's over in an hour," Alex began. "I can be there in an hour and a half. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, that sounds good," Addison said.

"Okay, then. See you soon."

"Okay. Bye Alex."

That was weird, Alex thought to himself as he hung up the phone. Why would Addison come to Seattle and not tell anyone she was there? Why did she only want to see him? It wasn't like they were close friends or anything. Sure, they worked together whenever Addison returned to Seattle, but it didn't sound like this visit was work-related. The more he thought about Addison's reasons for wanting to see him, the more worried he became. What if she was sick? What if she had some fatal disease and couldn't bear to tell the people she loved most that she was dying? Did she want him to break the bad news for her? What made her think he could do that, he wondered as he swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat. Going through cancer with Izzie was one of the worst experiences of his life. He couldn't stand to think of Addison in a similar position.

"Karev, are you okay?" Bailey asked, ripping Alex out of his thoughts.

"Uh, yeah," Alex choked out.

Bailey raised an eyebrow, "You don't look so good. When does your shift end?"

Alex looked at his watch, "Fifty minutes."

"Go home, Karev. Get some sleep," Bailey instructed.

"You sure?" Alex asked.

"Yes," Bailey assured him. "I'll just ask another resident to complete the final rounds on your patients."

"Thanks, Bailey. I'll, uh, I'll see you tomorrow," Alex said as he made his way to the locker room to change out of his scrubs.

Thirty minutes later, Alex was standing outside of Addison's hotel room, prepared for the worst. He pictured Addison looking pale and weak and felt a lump begin to form in his throat again. You have to keep it together, he reminded himself. If Addison is sick, you need to be strong for her. Sighing heavily, Alex knocked on the door.

Addison greeted him with a smile. And to Alex's relief she didn't look pale or weak or sick. She looked…beautiful. Without even realizing what he was doing, Alex pulled her in for a hug.

"We're hugging," Addison said in surprise.

"Shut up," Alex smirked. "Isn't that what you do now?"

"So what's up?" Alex asked when they broke apart.

"Uh, you might want to sit down," Addison warned.

"Whatever it is, you can just tell me," Alex said. "I can handle it."

"Trust me, you're gonna want to sit down," Addison insisted. "Can I get you a drink or something?"

"No, I'm good," Alex answered, sitting down on the hotel bed. "But seriously, Addison, what's up. I mean, you're not sick or anything, right?"

"Oh, no, it's nothing like that," Addison reassured him.

Alex breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay. What is it then?"

Addison sighed, "Alex, I want to have a baby."

Alex's mind went numb. Why was she confessing this to him? "Uh, that's nice Dr. Montgomery, but you realize I'm not a fertility specialist, right?"

"You should probably call me Addison," Addison advised.

"Okay, Addison," Alex began, "why are you telling me this?"

"You sure I can't get you a drink?" Addison asked.

"No. Stop changing the subject," Alex pressed. "Why are you telling me this?"

"When I first went out to LA a couple years ago, I went there with the intention of having a baby. My friend Naomi Bennett was a fertility specialist out there, so I was going to use a sperm donor and raise a child on my own. But I found out that it's pretty much impossible for me to have kids."

"Oh, Addison, I'm really sorry," Alex cut in. "That sucks. You know there are other options though."

"Yeah, I know," Addison nodded. "The thing is I really would like to try to have a child on my own, but my boyfriend Sam doesn't want any more kids. He already has a daughter and a granddaughter."

"Wait, you're seeing someone?" Alex asked, suddenly feeling like he had just been punched in the stomach.

Addison nodded. "Anyway, he doesn't want any more kids, but he understands that having a child is important to me, so he said that he would try to love me and my baby."

This sounds like a healthy relationship, Alex thought to himself bitterly.

"Okay," Alex said slowly, "I still don't understand why you're telling me this."

"Uh, well, I was kind of wondering if you'd be my sperm donor," Addison finished.

"What? Trust me, Addison, you don't want me," Alex said quickly. "I mean, I come from a bad family. My father was abusive, my brother isn't well. Trust me when I tell you that you could pick a better donor. You should go to a sperm bank. I'm sure they have much better options for you there."

"Alex," Addison said, cutting him off, "I'd prefer not to use an anonymous donor. It seems so…impersonal and, I don't know, I just thought that it might be nice to be able to tell my child that I actually know his or her father."

Alex nodded. "But why me?" he asked. "You know a ton of other guys. Why not someone like Sloan?"

Addison laughed, "Please, Mark already has two children…that we know of. He really doesn't need to be fathering kids all over the place and, I don't know, our history isn't really the best for this type of thing. Plus, Mark would want to be involved, and I don't need that."

"Wait, you don't want your child's father to be involved in his or her life?" Alex asked in disbelief.

Addison shook her head. "I'm trying to make my relationship with Sam work. Adding a baby to the equation is going to make things hard enough. I don't want to complicate things more by throwing my child's father into the mix."

"So you're asking because you think I'd be okay with just abandoning my child?" Alex asked with obvious hurt in his voice.

"Alex," Addison began softly, placing her hand on his bicep, "I didn't mean it like that. I-"

"No it's fine," Alex said cutting her off and quickly moving away from her. "I've spent my whole life being told I'm a screw up. This is nothing new."

"Alex, please," Addison begged, tears brimming in her eyes. "I'm asking you because I think you're a decent guy. I'm asking you because, when we're not fighting, we actually get along really well. I'm asking you because, on a superficial level, I think we'd have really attractive children."

Alex couldn't help but smile at Addison's last reason for choosing him. She was right – they would definitely have good-looking children.

"Alex," Addison said softly, "I know you're not ready to be a father yet and I just, I just don't want to force that on you."

Alex nodded. "So hypothetically, let's say I went along with this, what would I have to do? We'd just go to a fertility clinic together, right?"

"Uh, actually," Addison began uncomfortably, "I was kind of hoping we could try it naturally. You know, so I could prove that my body isn't all dried up and barren."

"You're saying you want to have sex with me?" Alex clarified.

Addison nodded.

"I'm out," Alex said quickly.

"What do you mean you're out?" Addison asked. "It's not like we haven't had sex before."

"Yeah, but neither of us were in a relationship the last time we had sex," Alex hissed. "I'm not becoming your on the side guy."

"Alex, Sam knows about this," Addison reassured him, "and while he's not completely okay with it, we've established some rules."

"Rules?"

"Well, actually there's really only one rule – the _Pretty Woman _rule."

"That means nothing to me," Alex responded.

"No kissing on the mouth," Addison explained.

"So you can have sex with me, you just can't kiss me on the mouth?" Alex clarified.

Addison nodded.

"I don't know, Addison," Alex began. "This whole thing seems kind of messed up."

"I know, I know," Addison admitted, "but please, it's my only chance. I mean, it's pretty much just noncommittal sex for you."

"Addison, this little arrangement could end up making me a father. That's the exact opposite of noncommittal sex."

"But you wouldn't have the responsibilities of a father," Addison reminded him.

"Do you really think so little of me?" Alex asked in annoyance.

Addison sighed, "I knew this would be a long shot. I don't blame you for saying no. Uh, I'm sorry I wasted your time. Just please don't tell anyone I was here." Addison moved to open the hotel room door for Alex so that he could leave.

"I'll do it," Alex said quietly from his place on the bed.

"You'll do it?" Addison clarified, making sure that she heard him correctly.

Alex nodded, "Yeah."

"But why?" Addison asked, confused by his sudden change of heart.

Alex sighed, "I can tell you really want this, and you kind of changed my life when you put me on your service back when I was an intern. I guess I kind of owe it to you to change your life too."

Addison smiled, "Thanks Alex."

Alex nodded. "Just know that even though I'm agreeing to help you, I'm not completely cool with this."

Addison laughed, "I don't blame you."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I hope you're liking the story so far. Here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it & please review! :)

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><p><em><strong>Sweet Child of Mine<strong>_

**Chapter 2: Time After Time**

As time passed by, Alex and Addison settled into their sex arrangement. About once a month, Addison would fly out to Seattle and she and Alex would spend the week having sex, being careful, of course, not to kiss each other on the lips. They agreed to spend six months trying to conceive and, after that time, they would reevaluate the situation if necessary. Secrecy was a given; there was no way their friends would understand their arrangement.

About four months into their arrangement, Alex received a life-changing call from Addison.

"Hey Addison," Alex answered his phone, as he ducked into an unoccupied on-call room.

"Alex, great news," Addison exclaimed, "I just did one of those at-home pregnancy tests, and it was positive! We did it! We actually did it!"

Alex laughed, "That's great news Addison. I'm really, really happy for you. How'd Sam take it?"

"I haven't told him yet," Addison admitted. "You're the first person I told. It's just, I'm so excited. I never thought this would happen to me, and now it's happening. Alex, you don't even know how happy I am. Thank you so much, Alex."

"Addison, you don't need to thank me. You're gonna make a great mother. I'm really happy you're getting your chance."

Addison smiled, "Thanks Alex. That means a lot to me. It really does."

"Listen Addison," Alex began, "I wish I could talk longer, but I'm getting paged, so I have to go. But congratulations again. And, for what it's worth, I'll miss the sex."

Addison laughed, "Thanks Alex. Talk to you later."

xxxxx

That night, as Alex lay in bed, he thought about his situation with Addison. He realized that a baby _was_ the ultimate goal of their sex arrangement, but he hadn't really thought about what would happen if Addison got pregnant. She had made it very clear that she didn't expect anything from him, but Alex wasn't sure if he was comfortable with that arrangement. He decided that he would call her in a few days so that they could hash out the details together.

But he never got the chance. Two days later, he got another life-changing phone call from Addison.

"Hey, how's my favorite mother-to-be?" Alex asked as he picked up the phone.

"Please don't call me that," Addison choked out.

"Addison, what's wrong? Is everything alright?" Alex asked in concern.

"I, uh, it was a false positive," Addison sobbed. "I went to the hospital today for a blood test, you know, to confirm things, and the results, they, they came back negative."

"Are you sure it wasn't some kind of mistake?" Alex asked sympathetically.

"Yeah, we ran my blood twice," Addison said quietly. "Stupid, inaccurate at-home pregnancy tests."

"Addison, I'm so sorry," Alex began. "You should stay busy. You know, do something fun with Sam tonight."

"That would require us to be together," Addison said.

"Wh-what happened?"

"I ended things with him," Addison said flatly.

"But, why?"

"I need to be with someone who _really _wants to have a kid," Addison explained.

"Did you tell Sam that you thought you were pregnant? Did you tell him you're not?"

"Yeah."

"How'd he react?"

"He pretty much had the same reaction to both pieces of news. I mean, he obviously felt bad for me when I told him that I wasn't pregnant, but he wasn't exactly broken up over the news. It was more of a, 'Oh, well, I guess it wasn't meant to be,' type of reaction."

"So you ended things?"

"It was the right thing to do," Addison said quietly. "Sam said he would try to love me and my child but, at the end of the day, sometimes trying isn't enough."

"Oh, Addison, I really am sorry," Alex said, "but I think you did the right thing. I mean your child deserves to be the center of its parents' world."

Addison sniffled at Alex's words. "Like I'll even be able to have a child," she muttered sadly.

"Addison, you can't think like that," Alex scolded. "Of course you'll be able to have a child. We can extend our sex arrangement. Or we could do IVF. You can't just give up."

"I don't know," Addison shrugged. "I, uh, I really need to go, Alex."

"Okay, but Addison-"

"Yeah?"

"You're gonna get through this."

"I don't know, Alex."

"You will."

"Alex, I really need to go," Addison said, choking back a sob.

"Okay, Addie. I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?"

"Yeah. Bye Alex."

It took Alex about two seconds after he had hung up the phone to realize that he couldn't wait until tomorrow to see how Addison was doing. He had to know that she was okay now.

"Meredith," Alex called, jogging to catch up with his friend. "Tell the chief that I had to leave town immediately. An emergency came up. I'll call him and explain things later tonight."

"Um, okay," Meredith said. "Is everything alright?"

"I hope so," Alex responded. "You'll tell him?"

"Yeah, of course. Good luck, Alex."

"Thanks, Mer," Alex responded as he made his way out of the hospital.

A few hours later, Alex was standing at the front door of Addison's beach house. "Hey," he said softly, as Addison opened the door to let him inside.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him wearily.

"I had to see for myself that you were alright," Alex admitted, as he pulled her into a hug.

"I've been better," Addison confessed while Alex continued to hold her.

"I know," Alex said gently, feeling Addison's tears soaking his shirt. "Hey, Addison?"

"Yeah," she sniffled.

"I'm gonna break our _Pretty Woman_ rule. Just thought you should know," he said.

"What?" Addison asked, stepping back a bit so she could meet Alex's eyes.

"I'm gonna break our _Pretty Woman_ rule," Alex repeated before placing a soft kiss on Addison's lips. Addison responded, and quickly slipped her tongue between Alex's lips, massaging his tongue with her own. Alex let his hands slip down around Addison's waist, and he pulled her in closer, wanting to leave no space between them. Before either of them knew it, clothes were being ripped off, and they ended up in bed together.

Alex spent the night holding Addison close and Addison found comfort in being wrapped in Alex's strong arms.

xxxxx

"So, when you feel ready to start trying again, give me a call," Alex said gently, as he prepared to leave Addison's house the next morning. "Or you can call me just because," he added with a grin.

Addison nodded, "Okay, yeah, that sounds good. I will. And thank you, Alex, you know, for coming out here and everything."

"There was no way I couldn't not come out here," Alex said with a smile.

"Call me when you get back to Seattle?" Addison asked.

"Listen to you, all maternal," Alex teased. "Of course I'll call you," he said before brushing his lips against hers. "Bye Addie."

"Bye Alex."

And as he made his way to his car, Alex realized that his trip to California was more than just helping a friend through a hard time. And his decision to act as Addison's sperm donor was more than just repaying the woman who had shaped his professional identity. He cared about Addison and, while he had tried to move on, he realized then that his feelings for Addison had never completely disappeared.

xxxxx

"Hey," Alex said as Addison let him into her hotel room a little over a month later.

"Hey," Addison smiled.

"How was your flight?"

"Fine. But, Alex, as much as I'd love to sit here and make small talk, I have some really big news."

"Okay, let's hear it."

"I'm pregnant," Addison announced, "for real this time."

"Seriously," Alex asked in astonishment.

"Yeah, a little over five weeks," Addison smiled.

"So wait, that time in LA…" Alex trailed off.

"Yeah," Addison laughed. "Maybe we just needed a change of scenery or something."

"And you're just telling me now?"

"I just found out recently. Besides, I wanted to tell you in person," Addison admitted.

"Addison, this is so great. Congratulations," Alex smiled, pulling Addison into his arms. He leaned in to kiss her but stopped when he felt her stiffen in his arms.

"Uh, Alex, we can't do this," Addison began hesitantly. "Sam and I, we got back together."

"You got back together with Sam?" Alex asked angrily.

Addison nodded.

"And he knows you're pregnant?"

Another nod.

"And he's okay with this?"

"He's trying," Addison said.

"Addison, you can't be serious," Alex pleaded.

"He's a good guy, Alex."

"Who doesn't want any more kids," Alex finished angrily. "A month and a half ago, you were devastated because he wasn't overly excited when you thought you were pregnant and wasn't broken up when you found out that you weren't. How'd he react this time?"

"I don't know. I mean, he wasn't overjoyed, but he wasn't upset. He can be kind of hard to read sometimes. He's not really an emotional type of guy. And we haven't really talked about it very much."

"Well, isn't that the dream?" Alex muttered sarcastically.

"Alex, stop."

"Addison, you deserve better than that. You should want better than that. Seriously, Addison, this is _not_ what you want."

"Yes it is," Addison protested.

"No…it's not," Alex said softly.

"Okay, fine, Alex, since you seem to know what I want better than I do, why don't you go ahead and tell me what I want – because I'd be really interested in finding out exactly what I want. So please, Alex, enlighten me."

Alex sighed, "You want a man, who can't wait to meet your baby. You want a guy who _wants_ to be there when your baby says its first words or takes its first steps. A man who will stay up all night with you worrying the first time your baby gets sick even though, rationally, you both know that all babies get sick and that your baby will be just fine. You deserve a man who knows how important being a mother is to you; a man who realizes that if he has to try to love your baby, then he isn't doing a very good of loving you. Tell me I'm wrong, Addison," Alex whispered stepping towards her. "Tell me I'm wrong."

"Stop it," Addison said, tears brimming in her eyes. "Stop it. Sam and I are happy. You have no idea what our relationship is like."

"I don't," Alex confessed. "I'm only going off what you told me. And I don't know why you went back to him."

"I'm scared," Addison admitted, "and he's there."

"Scared? Addison you're one of the strongest women I know. You're going to be an amazing mother," Alex exclaimed.

"That doesn't mean I want to be on my own."

"That doesn't mean you should just go crawling back to an ex," Alex spat. "Didn't you learn your lesson the first time?"

"You know, Alex, I don't need this from you. I'm happy. I got what I wanted. I'm happy. So you know what, thank you for the baby but, honestly, I think it would be best if we stayed out of each other's lives."

"If you really think that's best," Alex said through gritted teeth, as he walked towards the door.

"I don't know what I think," Addison confessed. "I-I just don't want to end up alone."

"Addison, you haven't ended up anywhere," Alex said gently, "and if you think for even a second that you wouldn't make an amazing mother on your own, you're not the woman I thought you were. You're not the type of woman I'd want to have a child with."

"I think you should go," Addison said tearfully.

Alex nodded and then, casting a final look at Addison, he made his way out of her hotel room.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews on this story so far – I really do appreciate them! Here's the next chapter. I hope you like it, and please review! :)

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><p><em><strong>Sweet Child of Mine<strong>_

**Chapter 3: 9 Crimes**

Addison cut her visit to Seattle short. After her fight with Alex, there wasn't really a reason for her to stay. She felt bad about the way things had gone down between the two of them, and a part of her really wanted to set things right, but every time she picked up the phone to call him, she lost her nerve.

About a week after she returned to LA, Addison found a package waiting on her doorstep when she returned home from work. She raised her eyebrow when she saw the saw the return address – she didn't remember ordering anything from Seattle. Addison made her way into the living room, sat down on the couch and began to open the package. At the very top was a note written in Alex's handwriting.

_Addison,_

_I feel awful about the way things ended between us in Seattle. I had no right to tell you how to live your life. If Sam makes you happy, then I'm sure he's a great guy. If you want us to stay out of each other's lives, I understand, but I think you're right – a child should know something about his or her father, so I picked up a couple of things for the baby. I also tossed in an Iowa State wrestling t-shirt, a couple of pictures of me, and a letter for the baby. I thought the Iowa State shirt might make a cute nightshirt one day, and I figure you can give the baby the pictures and the letter when he or she is older. _

_I really am sorry about what happened in Seattle. I just want you to be happy – you deserve it._

_Love, _

_Alex_

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Addison began rummaging through the contents of the package. She pulled out a couple of onesies, a stuffed teddy bear, and the Iowa State shirt that Alex had mentioned in his letter. She also pulled out a copy of the book _Goodnight Moon_. On the front cover was a post-it note, which read: _This was my favorite bedtime story when I was little._ Addison smiled as she opened an envelope and pulled out some pictures of Alex. Most of them were recent shots, but there was also a picture of him in his college wrestling uniform and another picture, where he looked like he was five or six years old. He had to have been the cutest little kid that Addison had ever seen.

"Stupid hormones," Addison muttered, as she wiped more tears from her eyes. She turned her attention back to the package, and picked up a sealed yellow envelope – obviously Alex's letter for the baby. She turned the envelope over in her hands a couple of times, debating whether or not to open it. Oh what the hell, she thought to herself, as she carefully opened the envelope. I'll just stick the letter in another sealed envelope later. No one has to know, she reasoned as she began to read the letter.

_Hi Baby, _

_My life definitely hasn't been bright and shiny. I didn't have a good family life when I was a kid and, as an adult, I've had to deal with a lot of tough things, but none of these things even compare to how hard it's been for me to not be able to watch you grow up. _

_Just know that even though I wasn't there to hear your first words or see your first steps or tuck you into bed at night, I'm proud of you. I might not be there to watch you graduate from high school or go to prom, or deal with your first heartbreak, but I'm your biggest fan. I'll always be your biggest fan. You have a great future ahead you and, even though the bad stuff is easier to believe, never forget how special, talented, and loved you are. You mean the world to me and your mom. _

_Be good, and listen to your mom. And make sure you cut her a little slack every now and again. Sure, she can be crazy sometimes, but she's the best mom in the whole world and you don't need me to tell you how much she loves you. _

_So take care, you, and be safe and always remember that I love you and that there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of you._

_Love, _

_Dad _

Addison sat there reading Alex's letter over and over again, paying no attention to the tears streaming down her face or to how much time was passing by. When Sam entered Addison's house two hours later, he found his girlfriend sitting on the couch, her tear-filled eyes focused on the piece of paper in her hands.

"Addison," Sam exclaimed, trying to catch his girlfriend's attention.

Addison reluctantly forced herself to tear her attention away from Alex's letter to meet Sam's eyes.

Sam took in the pained expression on Addison's face. Her makeup, which was always perfect, was smeared messily all over her face; her blue-green eyes were red and puffy. "What's going on, Addie?" he asked in concern.

"What are you doing here?" Addison asked, completely ignoring Sam's question, as she returned her attention to the letter in her hands.

"You're my girlfriend," Sam said gently. "We were supposed to have dinner together an hour ago, and when you didn't show up I got worried. I thought you were standing me up."

"You got worried? Worried that something was wrong with me, or worried that you were being stood up?" Addison asked, a hint of annoyance creeping into her voice.

"Addie, what's this all about?" Sam asked.

"It's nothing," Addison mumbled.

"It doesn't seem like nothing," Sam said.

"It's just, Alex and I got into this big fight the last time I was in Seattle, and then I got this package from him today and it's perfect, and-"

"You look tired," Sam observed. "I think you'll probably feel a lot better after a good night's sleep."

"You're probably right," Addison conceded. But she wasn't tired. She was overwhelmed and scared and confused, but she definitely wasn't tired.

"Why don't you go upstairs and get ready for bed. I'm gonna grab something to eat, and then I'll meet you in the bedroom."

Addison nodded. As she made her way up to her bedroom, she couldn't help feeling a little annoyed with Sam. On the surface, his suggestion that she go to bed had been a sweet one, but it also got him out of talking to her about Alex and the baby – subjects that he desperately avoided. The thing was, though, Addison was almost relieved that she didn't have to open up to Sam. Even though he was her boyfriend and one of her oldest friends, sometimes he was really hard to talk to. Addison knew that Sam still wasn't completely on board with the whole baby situation, but she had kind of hoped that he'd show just the slightest interest in her fight with Alex or in the package that had brought on her emotional breakdown. Sure, both were baby-related, but _she_ could have used her boyfriend's support. She wasn't really angry with Sam about this, but his reaction – or lack there of – made her uncomfortable. Since they began dating, moments like these had been happening a little too frequently with him – if a situation didn't directly or immediately concern or affect him, he didn't care.

"Goodnight, Addison," Sam said as he climbed into bed next to her twenty minutes later.

"Night," Addison said.

Sam leaned in to give Addison a kiss and, although she responded, she realized that a part of her wished that she were kissing Alex instead. But she couldn't let herself think about that. She and Sam were happy. They had to be happy. So, she forced herself to push Alex Karev out of her head and waited for sleep to come.

xxxxx

Alex's heart skipped a beat when he saw Addison's number flashing on his phone. They hadn't spoken since their fight and as much as he wanted to call her and set things right with her, he could never quite muster up the courage to call her.

"Hey Addison,"

"Alex. Hi."

"How are you?"

"Good. I just wanted to call and thank you for the package you sent. I got it yesterday and it was perfect."

Alex smiled, "I'm glad you liked it."

"I really like it. Look, Alex, you clearly want to be a part of your child's life, and I have no right to deny you that, so I don't know, maybe we can come up with a new arrangement or something."

"I'd like that."

"Good," Addison smiled. "By the way, I sent you a little something this morning. You should be getting it soon."

"Really? What is it?"

"Can't tell."

"Seriously?" Alex whined.

"Seriously."

"Fine, be that way," Alex sighed. "So what was your favorite part of the package that I sent?"

"Honestly?"

"Yeah."

"The letter to the baby."

"You read it?"

"I didn't mean to; it just sort of happened."

"Addison! I know parents are supposed to invade their kids' privacy but, seriously, you're starting early."

"At least I was honest about it," Addison defended.

"Well I hope she never keeps a diary," Alex chuckled. "That would be a disaster."

"Alex, I wouldn't. Wait, she? You think we're having a girl?"

"Just a feeling," Alex shrugged. "I mean, it doesn't matter one way or the other to me."

"I think it's a girl too," Addison said softly.

"Yeah? What does Sam think?"

"Uh, I don't know," Addison answered. "We don't really talk about that kind of stuff."

"What kind of stuff?" Alex asked with feigned innocence. He already knew what was coming.

"Baby related stuff," Addison said sadly. As much as she wanted to talk about the baby with Sam or just share her excitement with him, every time she did, conversation became awkward and stiff. "Hey, I thought you said you never saw _Pretty Woman_ before," Addison said suddenly, desperate to change the topic.

"What?"

"Well, in your letter to the baby, you had two _Pretty Woman_ references – the take care, you, and the part about how the bad things are easier to believe."

Alex laughed, "I may have watched the movie recently."

"You know, the bad stuff is easier to believe scene is one of my favorites," Addison confessed.

"I can see that," Alex smiled. "Look, Addison, I've got somewhere I need to be, but, uh, thank you so much for calling and you know for letting me be involved in my kid's life. And thank Sam too for me. I know that this probably isn't the ideal situation for him."

"Uh, yeah, right, I'll be sure to thank him for you," Addison stammered.

"Wait, you ran this by him, right?" Alex asked, picking up on the discomfort in Addison's voice.

"Alex, he'll be fine with it."

"Um, okay, sure, I mean you're the one who's dating him, so you know him better. I'm just saying that if it were me, I'd want to know if someone else was suddenly going to become a big part of my life."

"Alex-"

"Look, Addison, I know we need to discuss this more, but I'm already running late, and there's somewhere I need to be, so can we talk later?"

"Oh, I get it," Addison said trying to conceal the jealously in her voice, "you've got a date."

"First of all, you don't know that and, secondly, why would that even matter to you?"

Why did it matter to her Addison wondered. "It doesn't matter to me," Addison lied. "Go ahead and date whoever you want."

"I will," Alex shot back. "After all, you do."

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Addison asked angrily.

"Read into it whatever you want," Alex replied coolly. "Or maybe you and Sam can talk about it tonight because, hey, it's not baby related so that's a safe topic for you two to discuss."

"Oh just shut up already, Alex."

"I've been trying to get off the phone with you for the last five minutes," Alex started but Addison interrupted him.

"Then I'll make this very simple for you, Alex," and, with that, the phone line went dead.

"Real mature," Alex muttered to himself. He contemplated calling Addison back, but a glance at his watch reminded him that he really was running late.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I hope you're enjoying the story so far. Here's the next chapter. I hope you like it & please review!

* * *

><p><em><strong>Sweet Child of Mine<strong>_

**Chapter 4: Thinking Over the Things That You Said**

"So Alex and I talked yesterday and we both think I'm having a little girl," Addison said as she sat down next to Sam on the couch. "What do you think?"

Sam shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I haven't really thought about it," he admitted.

"Oh, okay," Addison said, feeling a little disappointed. "Um, so how would you feel about Alex maybe being involved in the baby's life?"

"Addison," Sam said, "this is your kid. You call the shots. If you want him to be involved, then he should be involved."

"So you'd be okay with it?"

"Sure. I mean, I might even be for it because it'll give me more time to have you all to myself."

"Right. Uh, Sam, I know it's kind of early but I'm really tired. I think I'm just gonna go to bed," Addison said with a forced smile.

"Okay, I'll be up in a couple of hours," Sam responded before giving Addison a kiss. "Goodnight Addie."

"Goodnight Sam."

Once Addison was alone in her bedroom, she pulled out her phone and made a call that she had been meaning to make since her fight with Alex the day before.

"Callie Torres," the voice on the other line answered.

"Hey Callie, it's Addison. How are you?"

"Good. How are things with you?"

"Good."

"I don't believe you," Callie said smugly.

"That's why you're one of my closest friends," Addison said with a slight laugh.

"So, what's up Addie?"

"Arizona," Addison began slowly, "kids weren't originally part of her plan, right?"

"Right."

"But she's great with Sophia. I mean, she really, really loves her."

"Yeah."

"How does that happen? I mean, how does a person go from not wanting kids to suddenly being an amazing parent?"

"Well, I can't speak for everyone but I know that even though Arizona didn't want kids, when things got tough, she stepped up. That's one of the main reasons I love her. She doesn't back down from tough situations. She's there for me and she's there for Sophia. It's that simple. Why are you asking? Has the baby issue come up with you and Sam again?"

"Yeah."

"And he still doesn't want kids?" Callie asked.

"He still doesn't want kids and he's not willing to have kids with me but he said he'd try to love my child if I were to get pregnant on my own or adopt or something like that."

"What does that even mean?"

"I don't know. But he could have a change of heart, right? I mean, Arizona did."

"Addie, I don't have the answers for you here because I don't know that much about your relationship with Sam. Just ask yourself this – how does he react when things get tough? Does he step up or does he shut down?"

Addison thought back to the false positive nightmare. Alex stepped up. It wasn't that Sam shut down – he just didn't seem affected. Okay, so maybe he shut down a little. Then there was the night of Charlotte's attack. Sam definitely didn't step up then. He initially wanted to leave.

"Addie?" Callie asked, cutting into Addison's thoughts, "is everything okay?"

"Yes," Addison said quickly. "It's just, well, lately there's been this other guy and he's really great too."

"You're dating two men?"

"No," Addison assured her friend. It's much more complicated than that she thought to herself. "We're old friends and we had this connection that never quite disappeared. I mean, sometimes he can be a real pain in the ass, but then he says things and does things that are really sweet and he definitely steps up when things get tough."

"Could you see yourself ending up with him? Could you see yourself having a kid with him?"

"Well I could definitely see myself having a kid with him," Addison said with a slight laugh. If only Callie knew.

"Is that enough?" Callie pressed.

"What do you mean?"

"Is it enough for you to just have a baby with this guy? Do you want more?"

"I think I might love him," Addison admitted.

"Well, isn't that your answer? Oh, shit! Look, Addie, I hate to do this, but I really have to go. Alex is gonna be here any minute and I need to clean Sophia up."

"Alex? As in Alex Karev?" Addison asked in surprise.

"Yeah."

"Why is Alex Karev coming to your house?"

"Arizona and I are going out for dinner, so he's babysitting Sophia."

"Alex Karev is babysitting?"

"I thought it was weird at first too," Callie admitted, "but lately he's been coming over almost every day to play with Sophia."

"Every day?" Addison asked, suddenly feeling guilty. "Did he come over yesterday, Callie?"

"Yeah, he came over around four to take Sophia to the park. Why?"

Addison thought back to her phone conversation with Alex yesterday, which, of course ended right around four. He wasn't lying when he said he didn't have a date. He was going to play with Sophia. Shit! She felt like the most horrible person ever.

"Um, is everything okay, Addie?" Callie asked, tearing Addison from her thoughts.

"Um, yes, everything's fine," Addison lied. "It's just um…interesting that Alex, I mean, that Karev is babysitting for you."

"I guess," Callie shrugged, "but I really can't complain. Sophia loves him. You know who didn't love him so much last week, though – Arizona and me. He and Mark bullied us into buying only organic baby food. I mean, I know it's healthier, but Sophia doesn't like it as much as the regular kind, so feeding her lately has been unpleasant."

Addison laughed, "Well, Alex and Mark _are_ wrong about most things, but I have to agree with them here. Organic _is_ better. There's actually proof that-"

"You sound like Alex," Callie interrupted. "He had statistics and everything. Anyway, I'm sorry to cut this short, but I really do have to go. Alex is here."

"Okay, bye Callie. Give Sophia a kiss for me."

"I will. Got any messages you want me to pass onto Karev for you?" Callie teased.

Yeah, that I love him, Addison thought to herself. "No, that's okay," Addison told her friend. "Have fun at dinner tonight."

"Thanks, Addie. And don't worry, things will work themselves out. They always do."

"I hope you're right. Thanks Callie. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye Addie."

xxxxx

"Hey, I was just about to call you," Alex said into the phone, a couple of days later.

"Really," Addison asked. "Why?"

"Oh, you know," Alex smiled, "I came home from work today and had a pretty awesome package waiting for me, that's all." After a couple days of waiting, Alex had finally received the surprise that Addison had told him about – her first ultrasound picture.

"You got it?" Addison exclaimed.

"Yes, and I love it," Alex grinned, not even bothering to hide the excitement in his voice. "Addison, it's perfect."

"Isn't it," Addison gushed.

"Yeah, Sophia liked it too," Alex chuckled.

"Speaking of Sophia," Addison began, suddenly growing serious, "why didn't you just tell me that you were going to baby-sit her the other day? Why did you let me believe that you had a date?"

"I don't know," Alex said quietly.

"Alex."

"Honestly?"

"Honestly."

"I'm afraid I'm not gonna be a good dad," Alex admitted. "I mean, I've never done this before and it's not like I had a good role model growing up so, I don't know, I guess I just wanted to get some practice, you know, so I don't let my kid down…so I don't let you down."

"Alex, you're going to be an incredible father," Addison reassured him. "I mean, I never asked you to be a father to this baby, but you stepped up immediately. And, from what Callie told me, Sophia absolutely loves you. I really don't think you have anything to worry about."

"Really?" Alex asked, still unconvinced.

"Really," Addison smiled. "So you showed Sophia the ultrasound?"

Alex laughed, "Well, I know we agreed to keep things quiet for a while, but I've been dying to tell someone, so I figured our secret would be pretty safe with Sophia since she can't talk yet."

"I know what you mean," Addison sighed. "I've wanted to have a baby for so long, and now that I'm finally having one, I haven't been able to talk about it with anyone. I mean, I guess I could tell people at work about it, but I'd prefer to wait until I'm out of my first trimester. And please don't ask me why Sam and I don't talk about it," she begged. "I don't want to fight with you."

"I wasn't going to," Alex defended. "Hey, you know what we should do?"

"What?"

"We should meet up and talk about our baby, you know, since we're not telling our friends yet, and since the only people that we _can_ talk to are either literally not able to talk yet or emotionally unresponsive – no offense to Sophia and Sam or anything."

Addison laughed in spite of herself. "So wait, what exactly do you want to do?" she clarified.

"I have a three day weekend this weekend," Alex began. "Would you be free to hang out if I flew in?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess so. This weekend is actually kind of perfect," Addison admitted. "Sam's out of town. He'll be in New York helping Maya move into her college dorm."

"And Maya is…" Alex trailed off.

"Sam's daughter," Addison finished.

"Oh, okay. So can I come see you?" Alex asked.

Addison smiled, "If you're up for it, I'm up for it."

"Good. I'm definitely up for it."

"So what are we going to do this weekend?' Addison asked coyly.

"Well, it's probably a little early to go shopping for the baby, but we can browse," Alex started. "Then maybe we could go out to eat somewhere nice or we could order in if you want to stay in. I'd offer to cook for you, but you have a really nice place and I think that me burning it down might put a damper on our weekend. And of course, we have to be like those soon-to-be parents that everyone hates – you know the ones who _only_ talk about their baby and nothing else. That's gonna be us this weekend. How's that for starters?"

"That sounds pretty perfect," Addison smiled. "And don't bother booking a hotel room. You can stay in one of my guest rooms."

'You sure?"

"Alex, this is not up for debate."

"Okay," Alex grinned. "I guess I'll see you in a couple of days then."

"Yeah, sounds good. Bye, Alex."

xxxxx

Addison was waiting for Alex to arrive when Derek's name flashed on her cell phone. That's strange she thought to herself. Why was he calling her? "Hi, Derek, is everything okay?" Addison asked into the phone. Even though she and Derek were on good terms, they usually didn't call each other unless one of them really needed something.

"Addison, I need a favor," Derek began.

"Sure, Derek. Is everything alright? You're not hurt, are you?" Addison asked with concern.

"Everything's okay, everyone's alright," he assured her, "it's just I need you to talk to Karev."

"What? Why? Why do you need me to talk to Al, I mean to Karev?" Addison stammered.

"The fifth year residents are filling out fellowship applications," Derek explained, "and Alex only applied to hospitals in California. We all think he's limiting himself, and when we ask him why he's only applying to California hospitals, he completely shuts down. He's a really talented doctor and, while there _are_ some excellent hospitals in California, we just want him to consider all of the opportunities that are available to him."

Addison felt her heart skip a beat. It was really sweet of Alex to only apply to California hospitals so he could be close to the baby, but a part of her agreed with Derek – Alex was a really good doctor, and he shouldn't limit himself. But then again, she couldn't help smiling at the idea of being able to see Alex every day if he moved to LA. What would she do if he ended up somewhere like New York, where she'd hardly ever get to see him? You're with Sam, remember, she scolded herself silently. Yeah, but Alex is the father of your child and you want him to be in your child's life, she reasoned, so it's perfectly normal to feel this way. Okay, and maybe there's a slight chance that have feelings for him too.

"So should I take your silence as a yes, you'll talk to him?" Derek asked, ripping Addison out of her thoughts.

"Oh, um, sorry," Addison stuttered. "Why do you think I should talk to Alex? I mean you guys are the ones who see him every day. You'll probably be more successful."

"We tried, Addie," Derek explained. "I talked to him, Bailey talked to him, Arizona talked to him, even the chief talked to him…and nothing. Look, I know you and Karev might not have always gotten along back when you worked in Seattle, but he respects you and I honestly think he might listen to you. So, what do you say?"

"I'll do it," Addison agreed. "He is a very talented doctor, and he shouldn't shortchange himself."

"Thank you, Addison. I really do think it will mean a lot coming from you."

I'm sure it will just start another fight, Addison thought dryly. And we were doing so well. "Um, Derek," Addison began, unsure if she really wanted to ask him the question that was on her mind.

"Yes, Addison?"

"When did you know that our relationship was over?"

"Excuse me?"

"When I came to Seattle, and you took me back…when did you decide it was time to stop fighting for us?"

"Addison, what's this all about?" Derek asked with concern.

Addison sighed, "I'm dating Sam Bennett and-"

"As in Naomi's ex-husband?" Derek interrupted.

"Yeah," Addison said quietly. "The thing is I think things are over between us. I think things should have been over between us for a while now, but I keep fighting for the relationship, and I don't know why."

"Because you don't quit," Derek said gently.

"What?"

"Addison, I've done a lot of things in my life that I'm not proud of, but one of the worst things I've ever done was let you fight for us alone. I stopped fighting for us back when we were in New York, but you, you never quit. I'm really sorry that I continued to let you fight when I knew that there was nothing left for you to fight for."

"Why are you telling me this, Derek?" Addison asked softly.

"Because it sounds like you might be the only one fighting for your and Sam's relationship," Derek said simply. "I wasted enough of your time letting you be the only one fighting for our relationship, and I don't want you to have to go through that again. Once is more than enough – for anyone. I know you don't quit, Addison, but other people do. You deserve to be with someone who won't quit on you. And, hey, maybe Sam's that person, and maybe he's not; all I'm saying is that you deserve to be in a relationship where you're not the only one fighting for it."

"Thanks, Derek."

"You're welcome. And I know it's a little late, but I'm sorry Addie…for giving up on us and letting you continue to fight alone."

"Thanks, Derek. I should probably go."

"Okay, you'll talk to Karev?"

"Yeah, I'll talk to him. Bye, Derek."

Addison sighed as she hung up the phone. Leave it to Derek to help make her complicated life even more complicated. But maybe he had a point. Was she the only one fighting for her and Sam's relationship? Was she holding onto their relationship because she was afraid to quit? And what was she going to do about Alex? She sighed in frustration; she didn't have the answers to these questions. She didn't even know where to begin. Luckily for her, she was saved by the doorbell. So, pushing her conversation with Derek, and all the questions it stirred up, out of her head, Addison made her way to the front door.

"Hey," she greeted Alex, as she opened the door. "How was your trip?"

"Good," he smiled, pulling her into a hug. "How are you? How are you feeling?"

"Good," Addison said, lingering in Alex's embrace. "Morning sickness is horrible but, overall, I'm really, really happy."

"Giving Mommy trouble already, Baby?" Alex asked, placing a hand on Addison's stomach. "That's my kid for you," he smirked.

Addison laughed, "You don't know how nice it is to be able to just talk about the baby and not have to worry about Sam's reaction. I mean, I know he said –"

"Hey, Addison, how about we don't talk about Sam this weekend," Alex suggested. "I mean, unless you want to throw the name out there as a potential baby name, I don't think we need to discuss him. But, I'll warn you now, if you're thinking about naming our child Sam, I'm gonna veto it."

Addison smiled, "I like that idea. No Sam. Just you, me, and our baby."

Alex smiled at her words. He had to admit, it had a nice ring to it.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I hope you're enjoying the story! Here's the next chapter; hope you like it! As always, reviews are greatly appreciated!

* * *

><p><em><strong>Sweet Child of Mine<strong>_

**Chapter 5: Somewhere Only We Know**

"Wow," Alex said, appreciatively taking in Addison's appearance as she walked into the living room. "You look amazing. I mean, that dress…wow."

"Well, I figured I might as well get some use out of my favorite clothes while I still can," Addison smiled, loving the effect she was having on Alex.

"I kind of hate you, right now, for having a boyfriend," Alex admitted.

I kind of hate myself for having a boyfriend too, Addison thought to herself.

"So, you ready to go for dinner?" Addison asked, changing the subject.

But Alex wasn't listening. He couldn't take his eyes off of Addison. "I really hope our baby looks like you," he said softly.

Addison felt her cheeks grow warm at the compliment. "I wasn't a very cute kid growing up," she admitted with a slight laugh. "I had gaps in my teeth and I don't know…seriously, you were a much cuter kid than I was."

"I doubt that," Alex laughed. "I bet you were adorable."

"Hang on a second and you can decide for yourself," Addison said, rushing upstairs. A minute later, she returned with a box full of old pictures.

"You sure you still want to use the word adorable," Addison asked, as she showed Alex a picture of her six-year-old self.

"Oh, shut up. You _were_ adorable," Alex laughed, looking at the picture adoringly.

Addison sighed, "I mean, I guess I was kind of cute, but, Alex, you seriously were an adorable little kid. Six-year-old Alex wouldn't have given six-year-old Addison the time of day."

"Well, that's probably true," Alex admitted, "but only because six-year-old Alex thought that all girls had cooties. Is this one from college?" Alex asked, holding up another picture.

"Yeah," Addison said, joining Alex on the couch.

"Wow. Well I can tell you that college Alex definitely would have been interested in college Addison."

"This one's from med. school," Addison said, handing Alex another picture and moving in a little closer to him.

"And med. school Alex would have hated med. school McDreamy," Alex laughed. "I'm pretty sure that med. school Addison wouldn't have given med. school Alex the time of day."

"Not true," Addison protested.

"Well that's good, because med. school Alex would have been very interested in med. school Addison."

Addison smiled.

"And in case you haven't noticed," Alex whispered, pulling Addison in closer, "adult Alex is _very_ interested in adult Addison."

Addison began gently caressing Alex's cheek with her fingers. She met his eyes – warm, caring, comforting – and was instantly lost in them. Alex gave her a soft smile, and Addison felt her resolve begin to slip away. She leaned in towards him tentatively, hesitating just a moment before softly kissing him on the lips. Alex kissed back, pulling Addison into his lap, wrapping his arms around her, and closing the remaining space between them. A small moan escaped Addison's lips and, suddenly, the weight of the situation hit Alex. What was he doing? Addison had a boyfriend. He couldn't do this.

"Addison," Alex panted, moving away from her a little.

"Yeah," she breathed, pulling him back in and kissing him deeply.

"We can't. I can't. I mean, I want to, but you have a boyfriend," Alex stammered.

Shit! Sam. Addison took a deep breath and tried to compose herself. "Alex, I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have done that."

"Hey, don't apologize. You know I wanted it as much as you did."

"What makes you think I wanted it?" Addison asked coyly.

"Well, you initiated, and you don't kiss someone the way you just kissed me if you don't want them," Alex smirked.

Addison nodded in agreement. Everything Alex was saying was true, and that's what made this so hard. "But I can't want you, Alex. I'm with Sam," Addison sighed in frustration. "We're happy…or we're trying to be happy… I don't know."

"Addison, I know we agreed not to talk about Sam this weekend, and you can tell me to shut up if you want to, but things between you and Sam always seem kind of tense. Why stay in a relationship like that?" Alex asked.

"I don't know," Addison admitted. "I mean, in the beginning, things were so good between us. But, now, it's almost like he's a completely different person. I remember, one time, I poured my heart out to him about how much I wanted a baby and how angry I was because, at that time, I thought I couldn't have one, and all he did was ask if we were breaking up. No acknowledgement of what I had just said. No acknowledgement of my feelings. Nothing."

"So why stay with someone like that?"

Addison shrugged, "He used to say all these perfect things. Like one time, he told me that he would never hurt me, and-"

"That's your definition of perfect?" Alex interrupted.

Addison shrugged again, "What's wrong with it?"

"It's so…so…empty, and _really_ unrealistic," Alex said. "If you ask me, whether we mean to or not, we always end up hurting the people we care about. It's just part of loving someone."

"Well, saying I promise that I'll hurt you doesn't sound nearly as romantic," Addison smirked.

Alex shrugged, "But at least it's honest. And I don't know, those big romantic statements and promises – they always seemed kind of hollow and tacky to me. I think there's something to be said about simplicity. There's something honest about it."

Addison nodded slightly. She couldn't have this conversation with Alex right now; not with the memory of his lips against hers still so fresh in her mind. "Speaking of simplicity," Addison started, desperate to change the subject, "what do you say we cancel our dinner reservations, order in take-out, and hang out here instead?"

"You're okay with that?" Alex asked.

"Definitely," Addison smiled.

"Okay, then," Alex agreed.

"Great, I'll place the order, let's change into more comfortable clothes, and meet back here in like five minutes," Addison said.

Alex nodded and made his way to the guest room.

xxxxx

"So," Alex began after he and Addison had finished their dinner, "I have a surprise for you."

"Really?"

"Don't get too excited," Alex smirked, "it's nothing big. Remember, I'm a simple guy. But I saw this the other day, and thought of you," he said handing Addison the _Pretty Woman_ DVD.

"Alex, this is amazing," Addison exclaimed. "I haven't seen _Pretty Woman_ in so long. Wanna watch it?"

"Yeah, but under one condition," Alex grinned.

"Name it."

"You can't tell anyone that I watched this with you. It would destroy my image."

Addison smiled and began running her hand up and down Alex's muscular bicep, "I won't tell anyone, but I'm pretty sure that anyone who knows you well enough knows that you're not nearly as badass as you pretend to be."

Alex chuckled and made himself comfortable on the couch. After putting in the DVD, Addison made her way over to where Alex was lounging and cuddled up against him. She looked up at Alex, and he gave her a soft smile, pulling her in closer, resting one hand on her stomach and the other on her upper thigh. As he leaned down and gently kissed her temple, Addison couldn't help thinking that maybe simplicity wasn't such a bad thing after all.

xxxxx

"So, I guess we should probably go to bed," Alex said once the movie had ended.

"Yeah," Addison agreed. "Thanks for such a great day, Alex. I had a really good time."

"Me too," Alex smiled.

"Well, goodnight," Addison said, kissing Alex on the cheek.

"Goodnight," Alex responded, "and goodnight to you too, Baby," Alex smiled, getting down on his knees and kissing Addison's stomach.

"See you in the morning, Alex," Addison smiled as they headed off to their separate rooms.

Alex had nearly drifted off to sleep when he heard his door creek open. He looked up and saw Addison standing in the doorway.

"Hey," he said, giving her a soft smile. "You okay?"

"Yeah." She looked down for a moment. When she looked up again, her eyes met Alex's. Neither spoke – they didn't have to. Alex could read the unspoken question in Addison's eyes. He smiled and gave her a slight nod, moving over in the bed to make room for her. He lifted the covers slightly, and she crawled in next to him, resting her head on his chest. He breathed in her scent as he pulled her in closer and softly rubbed her back as they fell asleep in each other's arms.

Addison woke up a few hours later. She took in Alex's sleeping form and a rush of emotions washed over her as she watched him silently for a few minutes. Finally, overwhelmed and conflicted by her feelings for him, she lightly traced the outline of his lips with her index finger before leaning in and kissing him softly on the mouth, feeling just like Julia Roberts in _Pretty Woman_.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Here's the next chapter. I hope you're liking the story! As always, I appreciate reviews! :)

* * *

><p><em><strong>Sweet Child of Mine<strong>_

**Chapter 6: Why Can't I? **

When Alex woke up the next morning, Addison was gone. He sighed in frustration. This whole situation was getting really complicated. Alex was about to close his eyes and try to get a little more sleep when he heard a retching noise coming from the guest bathroom. He sprang out of bed and quickly made his way into the bathroom to find Addison hunched over the toilet. Within seconds, he was kneeling down beside her, holding her hair back and rubbing soothing circles on her back as she vomited into the toilet. "Hey, it's okay, I've got you," he whispered, as he continued to rub her back.

Addison met Alex's eyes and gave him a slight smile. "Thanks," she said a little shakily. "I think I'm okay now."

Alex helped Addison to her feet. "So, does this happen every morning?" he asked sympathetically, as Addison rinsed her mouth out with water.

She nodded, "Pretty much; although, I'm used to dealing with it alone."

"I'm sorry," Alex said quietly, gently rubbing her hand. Could Sam be a bigger ass?

"Don't be. It's actually not Sam's fault, it's mine," Addison admitted, reading Alex's thoughts. "There was this one time, a while back, when I was nauseous and vomiting and just felt awful, and he acted like he couldn't be bothered. You know, like me being sick was an inconvenience. So, I'm choosing to deal with the morning sickness on my own. It's just I'm ready for the first trimester to be over so I can finally be done with this."

Alex nodded and wrapped his arms around Addison but, on the inside, he wanted to scream at her. Addison was one of the strongest, most confident women he knew. This wasn't the Addison he knew at all.

Addison sighed heavily, not moving out of Alex's embrace, "You must think I'm crazy, right?"

Alex smirked, "I've always thought you were crazy. This is nothing new. Come on; let me make you some breakfast."

"You cook?" Addison asked raising an eyebrow.

"I'll have you know, I make an amazing bowl of cereal," Alex smirked. "I always get the milk to cereal ratio just right. In fact, I challenge you to find someone who makes a better bowl of cereal than I do."

"Yeah, okay," Addison laughed. "Come on, Wolfgang Puck."

xxxxx

"So, can I ask you something without you freaking out?" Addison asked as she and Alex sat down to breakfast together.

"Um, I guess so," Alex responded nervously.

"Derek called me yesterday and told me that you're only applying for fellowships in California hospitals. Is that true?"

Alex nodded.

"Alex, you don't have to do that," Addison said gently. "You're an incredible doctor and you've worked your ass of at Seattle Grace. You'll definitely be offered fellowships at top-tier hospitals and you shouldn't miss out on those opportunities – you earned those opportunities."

Alex shrugged.

Addison could sense Alex shutting down, and she was suddenly overcome by a need to be close to him. Getting out of her chair, she made her way over to where he was sitting and sat down in his lap. "Alex, talk to me," she said softly, trailing her hand across his muscular chest.

After sitting in silence for a moment, Alex took a ragged breath and began, "I don't know how much you've heard about my father, but he used to beat the shit out of my mother. Sometimes he'd hit me and my siblings too. And I, I promised myself that if I ever had kids that I'd be everything my father wasn't. You know, I want to be there for my kid's ballet recitals or baseball games or whatever, because I know what it's like to grow up feeling like you're worthless and unloved, and I would never for one second want to make my child feel that way."

"Alex," Addison said gently, "you don't need to be in the same state as your child to be a good father. I mean, I get your reasons for wanting to move to California, and I appreciate them, but I also think you need to think about your career."

"There are a lot of good hospitals in California," Alex defended.

"Yeah, but what about Seattle Grace, or hospitals in New York or Boston? Alex, you could have your pick."

Another shrug.

"Look, I'll tell you what," Addison began, unable to stop the words that were coming out of her mouth, "you apply to Seattle Grace and other top-tier hospitals, and we'll see what happens. Even though I've been in LA for a while now, it's never felt like home, so if you get in somewhere good, I'd consider moving."

"Addison, I could never ask you to do that."

"You didn't ask. I offered."

"Yeah, but what about your practice? What about Sam? You can't expect him just to uproot his whole life."

Addison sighed, "We'll cross those bridges when we get there."

Alex still looked doubtful.

"Please just do this for me," Addison whispered against Alex's chest.

Alex sighed, "Fine, I'll do it. I mean, who knows if I'll even get in and, even if I do, it doesn't mean I _have_ to go there, right?"

"Right."

"Okay," Alex smiled. "Now, come on, let's finish our breakfast already. Our cereal's getting soggy and we have a big day ahead of us."

xxxxx

"Are you sure we should be looking for things for the baby this early?" Addison asked Alex, as they stood at the entrance to a baby and children's furniture store. "I mean, I'm not even out of my first trimester yet; you don't know what could happen."

"You can't think like that, Addison," Alex responded. "Everything's going to be fine."

"You don't know that," Addison said quietly.

"But we can't worry about it," Alex reminded her reassuringly. "So let's have a little fun," he said, taking her hand in his. "Besides, we're just browsing, not buying."

"Okay," Addison agreed as they walked into the store. "I kind of love this," she gushed as they stopped in front of a dark mahogany furniture set, complete with a crib, two dressers, and a rocking chair. "What do you think?"

Alex chuckled. He knew absolutely nothing about baby furniture or interior design for that matter, but he wanted to be supportive. Lord knew, Sam wasn't; and Addison deserved supportive. So he smiled widely and said, "I like it too. Very elegant."

His response seemed to please Addison because she smiled back at him and gave his hand a squeeze. "What do you think about this set?" she asked as they stood in front of a white crib with a matching dresser.

"Um, I like it. It's very girly though."

Addison laughed, "Yeah, it kind of is, but I really like it. I'm really glad you convinced me to do this, Alex."

Alex smiled, "Well, you deserve-"

"Oh shit," Addison swore, cutting him off.

"Addison? Are you okay? What's wrong?" Alex asked with concern.

"Violet and Pete," Addison whispered.

"What?"

"Violet and Pete," Addison repeated. "I work with them. They can't see me here."

"Oh," Alex mouthed, understanding her predicament.

"We need to hide, Alex."

"What?"

"Maybe we can hide behind the crib…or we could crawl under it…or-"

"Addison, we're not hiding anywhere," Alex laughed.

"But they can't see me here," Addison protested, her eyes desperately searching the store for a hiding spot. "We've gotta get out of here."

"Not so fast," Alex smirked, not letting go of Addison's hand. "We'll just tell them you're helping me shop for a friend or something."

"Oh, that's good," Addison said, breathing a sigh of relief.

Alex chuckled. "Okay, they're coming over here. Please try to act like a normal person."

Addison rolled her eyes at him.

"Addison," Violet exclaimed.

Addison pretended to look surprised, "Violet, Pete…what are you doing here?"

"We're getting Lucas a new dresser," Pete explained. "Violet woke up this morning and hated the one he has now, so here we are."

"What are you doing here, Addie?" Violet asked. "And who's your friend?"

"This is my friend Alex Karev. We used to work together back when I lived in Seattle," Addison said, as Alex extended his hand to Pete and Violet.

"Very nice to meet you, Alex," Violet said, eyeing him appreciatively.

"I'm standing right here, Violet," Pete muttered.

"You're probably wondering what I'm doing here…in this store…shopping for baby furniture," Addison announced awkwardly. Alex groaned inwardly. They should have just hidden under a crib.

"Um, yeah, I kind of already asked you what you're doing here," Violet chuckled.

"Right," Addison said.

"She's helping me shop," Alex cut in before Addison could get them in more trouble.

"That's right," Addison agreed. "That's right."

"So, you're going to be a father?" Pete asked Alex.

Addison and Alex exchanged a quick look. "I'm here shopping for a friend of mine but, since I'm not very good at this kind of stuff, Addison offered to help me," Alex explained.

"Oh," Violet smiled. "And you still live in Seattle?"

Alex nodded.

"So why are you shopping for baby furniture in California?"

"Well, you know, the shops here are just so much better," Addison gushed.

Alex laughed. Wow, Addison was a bad liar. "I'm here on vacation for a couple of days," Alex began, "and I remembered that Addison lived out here, so I asked her if she wanted to meet up, and we got to talking about my friend, and here we are. I probably won't buy anything here, but Addison _does_ have incredible taste, so I'm just getting her input."

"Oh, well that makes sense," Violet said. "So-"

"Come on, Violet," Pete interrupted. "I don't want to spend my entire day in a furniture store. Let's leave these two alone and look at dressers."

"Fine," Violet sighed. "See you Monday, Addison; nice to meet you, Alex…very nice to meet you, Alex."

"Still right here, Violet," Pete said as they walked away.

"That was close," Addison breathed once Violet and Pete were out of earshot. "You're a fantastic liar, by the way."

"And you are an absolutely horrible liar," Alex smirked.

"I'm usually not," Addison laughed. "I don't know what happened."

"Well, let's just hope our child gets your terrible lying genes," Alex smirked. "It'll definitely make things easier during the teenage years."

xxxxx

"Have I ever told you about my family?" Addison asked as she and Alex lay in bed together that night.

"No," Alex responded, running his fingers through Addison's hair.

"Well, we're pretty screwed up," Addison said with a forced laugh. "Ever since I was little, I knew that The Captain was cheating on Bizzy. He'd have sex with random women in his office while I waited outside, and he'd bribe me with ice cream or other things so I wouldn't tell Bizzy."

"Wait, I thought you were telling me about your family. Who are The Captain and Bizzy?" Alex asked.

"My parents," Addison explained. "Yeah, my brother, Archer, and I didn't call our parents mom and dad. They were Bizzy and The Captain to us. Anyway, I've spent almost my entire life hating The Captain for what he did to Bizzy, and I've always thought that his cheating explained why Archer and I are both cheaters. But then I, uh, I learned that Bizzy was a lesbian, and The Captain knew about it the whole time. So pretty much everything I knew about my parents, or everything I thought I knew about them was a lie."

"Wow. So did your mother leave your father? I mean, did Bizzy leave The Captain?" Alex amended.

"Yeah, sort of. She came out to California with her lover, Susan, who I should also mention was her PA, and they got married. I, I actually organized the wedding. But Susan was sick, really sick, and she died, and, um, Bizzy…Bizzy killed herself shortly thereafter."

"Addison," Alex whispered pulling her in closer.

"You know, it's not like Bizzy and I ever had a loving relationship or anything but, I don't know, since her death, things have been different."

"Yeah?"

"I just feel more…alone. I mean, Sam and all my friends came to Connecticut to be with me at the funeral, and I know they meant well, but I almost wish that they hadn't come. Horrible, right?"

"No," Alex answered. "Your family's complicated. I get that. I hate talking about my family, so having a bunch of people, even if they are close friends, come to a family member's funeral would have made me really weird and uncomfortable."

"Yeah," Addison smiled. Alex got her. "You know, since Bizzy died, I've really been trying to go after the things I want because, I mean, Bizzy spent her whole life not going after what she wanted, so her death, in a way, was what really pushed me to try to have a baby."

Alex smiled and squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"Anyway, I don't know why I felt like telling you about my family. It's not a topic that I'm usually very open about, so thanks for listening and, you know, for not judging or trying to fix me," Addison said.

"Hey, who am I to judge?" Alex asked. "You've heard about my family. And you don't need me or anyone else to fix you. I mean, sure, you've been through a lot, but you're not broken."

Addison smiled. "Hey, I think we're going to be really good parents," she said, changing the subject suddenly. It was hard for her to think clearly when Alex was being so sweet. "I mean, neither of us had very helpful role models, but I think we'll be okay."

Alex grinned widely, "Addison, you're going to be an amazing mother. There was never any doubt in my mind about it."

Addison smiled, "And even though you're worried about being a dad, you're going to be an incredible father. I just know it."

Alex smiled uncomfortably at the compliment. He had never been very good at accepting compliments, especially from Addison. "So, you still think we're having a girl?" he asked bringing his hand to her stomach.

"Yeah," Addison smiled, covering his hand with hers.

"Me too. You're gonna want to find out the sex, right?"

"Yeah. I mean, if I don't, I'll have to stop looking at the ultrasounds, which I don't want to do. Plus, it'll make shopping and decorating easier and more fun."

"I'd really like to be there when you find out the sex. I mean, if it's okay with you," Alex said.

Addison felt a rush of emotion wash over her and, without even thinking about it, she leaned in and kissed him hard on the mouth. But instead of her kissing back, Alex stiffened in surprise. Addison immediately pulled away. "I'm so sorry," she breathed. "I meant to say yes…but I kissed you instead. I don't know why I did that. Please, can you just forget I did that?"

"Addison," Alex chuckled, "it's no big deal. You got caught up in the moment. It happens."

"Right," Addison sighed. "Still, I'm sorry."

"Don't be. And stop apologizing every time you kiss me – it's bad for the ego. Now, come on, it's late; let's go to bed."

"Goodnight, Alex," Addison said, snuggling into his chest.

"Goodnight, Addison," Alex responded, wrapping his arms around her protectively.

As they drifted off to sleep, Alex couldn't help thinking about Addison's kiss. Part of him was kicking himself for not kissing her back. But he knew that, as much as he wanted to kiss Addison, doing so would only complicate things more for everyone. He felt Addison stir in her sleep, and he held her close, gently caressing her until she settled down again. When he was sure that Addison had fallen asleep, he leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on the lips to make up for not kissing her back earlier. "I love you," he whispered before kissing her again and closing his eyes to go to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I hope you're liking the story! Here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it, and please review – I'd love to hear what you think! :)

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><p><em><strong>Sweet Child of Mine<strong>_

**Chapter 7: Fire and Rain**

Two months had passed since Alex's long weekend with Addison. Addison was now in her second trimester, and Alex would be heading out to California in two weeks to go with her to the doctor's appointment where they would hopefully find out the sex of their baby. As soon as she reached her second trimester, Addison told her friends at work about her pregnancy. For Alex, Sophia remained his only confidant. As much as he wanted to tell someone else about the baby, he wasn't exactly sure how to strike up that conversation with anyone from Seattle Grace without getting a condescending lecture or a black eye in return. Plus, he and Addison were on the phone with each other almost every day, so that made keeping the secret a little easier.

Since their weekend together, he and Addison had become a well-oiled machine. They fought a lot less frequently, which is not to say they didn't fight at all – after all, they were Alex and Addison. Sam had also become less of an issue; since their weekend together, Alex never asked about him and, in return, Addison never brought him up. Alex had even gotten better at burying his feelings for Addison. Sure, he was still in love with her, but he felt like he was doing a pretty good job pretending that he wasn't – fake it 'til you make it, he told himself. But then there was a case that changed everything.

"Good morning, Ms. Simmons, How are you feeling?" Alex asked his patient.

"Nervous," Ms. Simmons admitted. "And you can call me Rachel," she added with a forced smile.

Rachel had every right to be nervous. She and her baby were about to undergo a very risky procedure. Rachel had been in a car accident and her CT scan showed that she had suffered a blood clot in the brain because of the trauma. Derek was going to go in and try to remove it. Her baby's heartbeat had been irregular for a while and, even though it had evened out again, the invasive procedure that Rachel was about to undergo was very dangerous for the baby as well.

Alex patted her hand reassuringly, "Well, Rachel, it's perfectly normal to be nervous, but Dr. Shepherd, Dr. Stark, and the rest of our team are going to do absolutely everything we can to make sure that you and your baby are okay."

Rachel gave him a weak smile, "Thanks, Dr. Karev."

Alex returned her smile even though, on the inside, he felt very nervous. He hated making vague promises to patients, and Rachel had no one – no husband or boyfriend or partner, and no family to comfort her – so he felt an even greater responsibility to put her at ease.

"Dr. Karev, are _you_ okay?" Rachel asked Alex, ripping him out of his thoughts.

"I'm fine," Alex replied as he bent down to tie his shoe. When he stood up again, he gave Rachel his most convincing smile, "You're in good hands."

"Thanks," Rachel said. "Um, Dr. Karev, I think a piece of paper slipped out of your lab coat."

"Thank you," Alex smiled, as he bent down to pick it up. It was the ultrasound picture that Addison had sent him a couple of months ago. Since he couldn't exactly display it anywhere, he kept it with him pretty much all the time.

Rachel peered over his shoulder. "Is that an ultrasound picture?" she asked him curiously.

Alex smiled at his patient; she seemed noticeably more relaxed. "Yeah," he admitted.

"Your kid? I mean, I'm assuming it's your kid; it would be kind of weird if you carried around some random person's ultrasound."

Alex chuckled. "Yeah, it's my baby," he said proudly.

"Well, congratulations, Dr. Karev," Rachel grinned. "I didn't realize you were married or engaged or romantically involved."

"Oh, um, I'm not," Alex stammered.

Rachel shot him a quizzical look.

Alex sighed and sat down next to her. "I'm just helping out a friend," he explained. "She desperately wanted to have a child, but, um, she was afraid that she was running out of time, so she asked me if I'd have a baby with her, and I agreed."

"And this woman, she's just a friend?"

"You ask a lot of questions," Alex smirked.

"Humor me. I'm about to undergo very dangerous surgery. This is the most relaxed I've felt since I got here."

"She's just a friend," Alex sighed.

"I don't believe you," Rachel laughed, "but you're my doctor, and I'm not going to pry into your love life. So do you know if you're having a boy or a girl?"

Alex shook his head. "This is Addison's first ultrasound," he said, showing Rachel the picture. "Addison's my friend, by the way. Anyway, I'm heading out to California in two weeks to see her – we should be able to find out the sex then."

"Got a preference?"

Alex shook his head. "After spending all this time working with sick babies and children, I just want a healthy baby."

Rachel sighed, "I hear that," she said, the nervousness had returned to her voice.

Alex smiled at her, "Rachel, I promise you, we are going to do absolutely everything we can in there for you and your baby. I promise."

Rachel gave him a weak smile. "Thanks."

"No problem. I'll be back to check on you in a little while."

"You know, Addison is really lucky," Rachel said as Alex made his way out of the room.

Alex turned around to face her. "Excuse me?"

Rachel smiled, "I said, your friend Addison is really lucky; you're gonna make a great father and, for what it's worth, I think you really care about her too."

xxxxx

"Damn it!" Alex screamed, ripping off his scrub cap.

Derek shot him a worried look. "You okay, Karev?"

Alex looked down at Rachel's lifeless body, and felt his throat begin to tighten as he tried, but failed, to keep his emotions in check. "That shouldn't have happened," he shouted, choking back a sob. "We should have saved her. We should have saved them both."

"Karev, these things happen all the time," Stark said calmly. "You know this, so stop acting like it's the first time you've ever lost a patient. It's okay."

"How can you be so calm?" Alex asked him in disgust.

"I don't know, it's life," Stark shrugged.

Alex cringed at Starks choice of words. What just happened certainly wasn't life. "But we should have saved them," Alex insisted.

"But we didn't, Karev. Face it, we lose babies in surgery, we lose mothers in surgery – it happens. And, hey, this patient didn't have any family, so that makes things even easier for us. I don't see why you're getting all bent out of shape."

"Dude, can you stop being so callous for just one second. I mean, we just lost a woman and her child. Can you at least pretend to show a little respect?"

"That's your problem, Karev," Stark shot back. "You're too emotionally invested. That's the difference between you and me. I'm gonna go scrub out, finish out my day, go home, and get a good night's sleep; you're gonna let this eat at you all day long. You're seeing your patients as people, and their not. They're patients not people – got that? Patients, not-"

But Stark was cut off by Alex's fist connecting with his jaw.

"Shit, Karev!" Derek exclaimed, as he rushed to help Stark. "What the hell was that?"

"I'm going straight to the chief about this," Stark shouted from the floor, clutching his jaw. "I hope you enjoyed your time at Seattle Grace because this little stunt is gonna get you fired."

"Well, at least it was worth it," Alex retorted angrily, storming out of the room and quickly making his way into an empty on-call room. As he sat down on one of the on-call room beds, he tried his best to compose himself, but he couldn't stop his body from shaking as he desperately fought back the tears that were forcing their way out of his eyes. Over the years, he had become much more attentive to his patients but, ever since Addison got pregnant, he felt an added pressure whenever he was operating on a mother and child. He had really liked Rachel, and he was pretty sure that he would have decked Stark on her behalf, but Addison and the baby added a whole new layer. Just the thought of Addison in Rachel's position made Alex feel physically sick, and the thought of a doctor treating Addison like a patient and not a person made Alex want to find Stark and punch him again. In an attempt to comfort himself, Alex removed the ultrasound picture from his lab coat pocket and reminded himself that both Addison and his baby were fine. But so was Rachel, he told himself. She was in a freak accident; it could happen to anybody. And, with that thought, Alex lost his battle against the tears that he was so valiantly holding back, and so he sat there, eyes glued to the ultrasound picture, not caring about the tears that were now making their way down his face.

"Okay, Karev, are you going to tell me what the hell that was all about?" Derek demanded as he entered the on-call room.

Alex didn't look at him. He kept his eyes fixed on the picture in his hands, doing his best to blink back tears.

Derek walked over to Alex and began to sit down next to him. "Karev, you know as well as anyone that this type of behavior could be a firing offense, so you need to tell me what's going –" but he cut himself off when he caught a glimpse of the paper that Alex was looking at. "Alex, Is that an ultrasound picture?"

Alex nodded, still not meeting Derek's eyes.

"Your kid?"

"Yeah," Alex said quietly.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah."

"Okay," Derek said slowly. "So who are you having a child with?"

Alex looked up and met Derek's eye, "Dude, I can't tell you."

"Why not; I can keep a secret better than most people around this place. Do I know this woman?"

"Yeah."

"How well?"

"Really well – and that's why I can't tell you. You'd kill me."

"Well, I already want to kill you," Derek said matter-of-factly. "You punched out an attending in my OR. Besides, if I don't kill you the chief will, so you're dead either way. So why don't you just tell me?"

Alex sighed, "Fine, but um, could you maybe put a little more space between us. If you go to punch me, I want to be ready for it."

Derek exhaled noisily and moved off the bed where Alex was sitting. "You're starting to scare me a little, Karev. It's not Meredith is it?"

"No."

"Okay, so just tell me already."

"It's Addison," Alex said quietly.

"Addison? As in my ex-wife, Addison?" Derek exclaimed as he began to hyperventilate. "Whoa, is it hot in here or is it just me? You see the room spinning too, right, Karev?"

"Here, sit down, Shepherd," Alex said, helping Derek back onto the on-call room bed.

"Okay, yeah, that's a lot better," Derek breathed as he sat down on the bed. "Addison?"

"Look, it wasn't like it was an accident or anything. She came to me and asked me if I'd have a baby with her, and I agreed."

"But isn't she with Sam?"

"How did you know that?" Alex asked suspiciously.

"I called Addison and asked her if she'd talk to you about applying to hospitals that weren't in…is _that_ why you initially only applied to hospitals in California?"

"Yeah."

"Are you moving to LA?"

"I'd like to."

"So wait, let me get this straight. You and Addison are having a child together, but Addison is dating Sam."

Alex nodded.

"That's crazy, Karev!" Derek exclaimed. "Why in the world would you agree to go along with such a messed up plan? How could you let Addison talk you into this?"

"Because I'm in love with her!" Alex shouted back. "Because Sam wasn't willing to have a child with her, and I couldn't stand to see Addison hurting! I know it sounds stupid and crazy and messed up. I get that, I really do. But I love her; she's the only woman I'd ever do something like this for."

"Alex-"

"And I know I'm not supposed to love her. I get it, she's with Sam, and I'm trying not to love her. But then something horrible like this happens in the OR, and I can't help but think of Addison and how my world would literally stop if it were her and our baby in that situation, and I can't, I can't," Alex choked out, as he desperately tried to fight the sob that was threatening to escape his throat.

"Hey, Alex, it's okay," Derek said softly, doing his best to comfort Alex.

Alex took a ragged breath and met Derek's eyes. "I can't lose them."

"I know," Derek said sympathetically. "She's unhappy with Sam, you know that, right?"

Alex let out another shaky breath. "I know," he admitted, "and that's what makes this so hard. She went through morning sickness alone, she goes to doctor's appointments alone, he's made it pretty clear that he's less than enthusiastic about the idea of raising a child with her, and, somehow, he has her convinced that he's the one who's doing her this gigantic favor. She doesn't deserve that. She's the only one who doesn't get that."

Derek nodded sadly, still trying to wrap his head around the entirety of the situation.

"Look, Shepherd, I know I was out of line punching Stark but, right now, the only thing I can think about is getting to California and seeing Addison. So can you tell the chief that I'll meet with him when I get back? If I still have a job, that is."

"You'll still have a job," Derek assured him. "Go get Addison. I'll handle the chief."

"What?" Alex asked in surprise. "Um, Shepherd, not that I don't appreciate it, but why are you being so cool about this? I mean Addison is your ex-"

"Okay, let's not turn this into a game of who's who," Derek interrupted. Then softening, he added, "Things may not have worked out perfectly for me and Addison, but she deserves to be happy. So do you."

"Thanks, man," Alex said, extending his hand.

"No problem," Derek said, pulling Alex in for a hug.

"We're hugging," Alex said in surprise.

"Trust me, Karev, fatherhood brings out the softy in you. Now go get her."


	8. Chapter 8

Thanks for the nice reviews on the last chapter! They mean a lot to me! I was hoping to have this story done before the Private Practice premier on Thursday, but I guess that's not going to happen. But I do have a new chapter for you. :) I hope you like it and, as always, reviews are greatly appreciated! :)

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><p><em><strong>Sweet Child of Mine<strong>_

**Chapter 8: Look After You**

"Hey Derek, what's up?" Addison asked into her cell phone.

"Addison, hey. Are you still at work?"

"No, I just got home a few minutes ago. Why? Is everything okay?"

"Oh yeah, everything's fine. So you're in for the night, right?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"No reason. Um, is Sam with you?"

"No."

Derek breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, um, good, that's good. This is all very good."

"You're acting weird, Derek. What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing."

"You're lying."

"Um, listen, Addie, I wish I could chat more, but I've gotta go. Thanks for calling."

"You called me," Addison reminded him.

"Oh, right, of course," Derek stammered. "Well, anyway, I've gotta go."

"Um, okay," Addison said slowly. "Nice talking to you, I guess."

"Yeah, yeah, nice talking to you too, Addie. Bye."

What the hell was that all about, Addison wondered as she hung up the phone. Why would Derek call her to ask her a random string of questions? And why did he sound so flustered? She decided that it might not be a bad idea to call Alex and ask him to check up on Derek. That's strange, she thought to herself, as she waited for Alex to pick up...she swore she could almost hear Alex's ridiculous ring tone. Maybe Derek's not actually acting weird; maybe she was the one going crazy. But then the sound of Alex's ring tone grew louder and sounded closer, almost as if it were right outside her door. Feeling crazier than ever, Addison hesitantly opened the door and found a very weary looking Alex staring back at her.

"Were you planning on answering that?" Addison asked, pointing to the cell phone in his hand.

Alex shrugged, "I didn't want to waste my minutes." He gave her a smile, but Addison could tell it was forced. His sad eyes gave it away. Something was wrong.

"Alex, what are you doing here?" she asked. "And are you okay? I mean, no offense, but it looks like you haven't slept in a week."

"You wouldn't believe the day I had," he answered.

"Bad?"

"Horrible."

"Wanna talk about it?" Addison offered.

"Eventually, but not yet."

"So, um, okay, what exactly are you doing here?" Addison asked in confusion.

"I lied to you; just thought you should know," Alex said quietly.

"What?"

"When I told you that I agreed to have baby with you because you made me the doctor I am today, I was lying."

"I'm still not following, Alex. Are you saying I didn't help make you a better doctor?"

"No, you did, you did. But so did Bailey, and so did Arizona…but if either of them asked me to have a baby with them, I never would have said yes. Not in a million years."

"But you said yes to me."

"Yeah. You're the only one I'd say yes to."

"Why?"

"Because I love you. Because I'm in love with you. Because I _want_ to have a child with you. Because I want to be with you."

"Alex, I-"

"Addison, I'm not gonna stand here and promise you that I'll never hurt you. I can't promise that I'll always say perfect things. But you once told me to never miss an opportunity that might change your life…so I _can_ promise you that if I miss this opportunity and don't ask you to give us a chance…a real chance…I'm gonna regret it for the rest of my life."

"Al-"

"Addison, no matter what happens, I promise I'll be there for our child…but I…I was kind of hoping that you might let me be there for you too."

The words were barely out of Alex's mouth before Addison wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately.

"Um, Addison," Alex breathed when they pulled away, desire still clouding his eyes, "not that I'm not happy to be kissing you, but what about Sam?"

"There is no Sam," Addison whispered. "I ended things with him."

"What? When?"

"The day he came back from moving Maya into college."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"That was a while ago, Addison. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I guess I wanted to tell you in person. I probably should have told you sooner, but I don't know, I thought it might be a little slutty to just jump from one relationship to another. Not that I was assuming you'd automatically want to be with me or anything," Addison added quickly. "It's just, I don't know…" she trailed off. "You're not angry, are you?"

"I kind of wish you would have told me sooner," Alex admitted, "but, Addison, after the day I had today, you don't know how happy I am just to be here with you." He felt his throat tighten as he thought about Rachel and her baby. "So you and Sam are really over?" he asked Addison, desperate to push the events of that afternoon out of his mind.

Addison smiled, "We're over…for good this time. It wasn't a good relationship; I don't know why it took me so long to realize it. I mean, Sam's one of my oldest friends, but he's not what I want. He never was."

"What do you want?" Alex asked softly, gently stroking her cheek.

Locking eyes with Alex, Addison smiled softly, "I want a man who wants to raise a child with me. I want a guy who steps up when things get tough; a guy that doesn't quit on me. I want man that I'm head over heels in love with; a man I can't imagine spending my life without. I want you, Alex. I want you."

"I want you too," Alex said, pulling Addison in for a kiss. "I love you, Addison."

"I love you too," Addison murmured against Alex's lips before kissing him deeply.

"You know, you look absolutely beautiful," Alex whispered when they broke apart.

Addison smiled at the compliment. "I missed you, Alex."

"I missed you too," Alex smiled, bringing his hand to her small baby bump. "Both of you."

xxxxx

"That was incredible," Addison breathed as she and Alex laid naked in bed together, limbs intertwined.

"So incredible," Alex agreed, dropping a kiss on her bare shoulder.

"How long are you here for?" Addison asked. "We've gotta get a lot more of this in before you leave," she added, gesturing towards their naked bodies.

"I don't know," Alex answered. "I kind of left Seattle on bad terms, and I'm pretty sure the chief won't exactly be excited to see me when I come back."

"Alex, what happened today?" Addison asked, as she began putting on her Yale t-shirt and a pair of yoga pants.

Alex was about to tell her when Addison's cell phone began ringing. "It's Derek," she said, glancing at her phone. "He called me right before you showed up, and he sounded really weird; I should probably get this and make sure he's okay."

"He knows about us," Alex supplied. "He knows everything."

"Hmm…that might explain things," Addison chuckled, as she answered the phone. Alex half listened to Addison's end of the conversation with Derek, as he massaged her shoulders.

Once she hung up the phone, Addison turned around to face Alex. "You are such an idiot," she told him flatly.

"What?" Alex asked in surprise.

"Derek said you punched out an attending in the OR."

Alex nodded guiltily. "He deserved it."

"You're such an idiot," Addison repeated, shaking her head. Then softening, she added, "But you're an idiot who still has his job…not to mention a fellowship offer from Seattle Grace."

"Wait, seriously? A fellowship offer?"

"Seriously," Addison smiled. "Alex, I'm so proud of you…well, not for punching out an attending…but a fellowship at Seattle Grace – that's a big deal," Addison complimented before kissing him on the lips.

Alex smiled, "Yeah, I guess."

"You guess? Alex, you just got an amazing, life-changing fellowship offer; you should be the happiest man in the whole state of California."

"I'm happy," Alex admitted. "I just don't know if I'm going to accept it. I mean, I want to be with you and the baby, and that's kind of hard to do if I'm in another state."

"Alex, I was serious when I told you that I'd consider moving."

"I know, but I can't ask you to just give up your whole life here and your practice. And this house, I mean it's amazing…it's the perfect place to raise a family."

Addison shook her head, "I meant it when I told you that California never felt like home. I mean, sure, I learned a lot about myself out here, but it always felt more like a pit stop than anything else, you know, something temporary."

"But what about your practice? I mean, you just bought it."

"I'll sell it," Addison answered simply. "And don't even ask about my house. You're right, this place is great, but I'm sure there are equally nice places in Seattle. And, okay, maybe we won't have the beach as a backyard out there, but our baby can grow up with Zola and Sophia, and we both have friends in Seattle. That's not a bad trade off."

"I don't know," Alex said hesitantly. "I still feel bad asking-"

"Alex," Addison said, cutting him off, "I honestly don't care where I live, as long as I'm with you. And if you're going to be there for me, then you have to let me be there for you. Okay?"

"Okay," Alex agreed. "I honestly don't know what I did to deserve you."

Addison smiled, "I feel like I'm the one who should be saying that."


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Hope you enjoy!

* * *

><p><em><strong>Sweet Child of Mine<strong>_

**Chapter 9: I'll Be There For You**

The next day, Alex and Addison made the drive from Los Angeles to Seattle. Alex was prepared to go in and smooth things over with the chief. Addison was prepared to ask the chief for a job. Neither felt overly prepared to break the news of their relationship and Addison's pregnancy to their friends and colleagues.

"You ready for this?" Alex asked Addison, reaching for her hand, as they made their way through Seattle Grace's automatic doors.

"I guess I don't have much of a choice," Addison sighed, giving Alex's hand a gentle squeeze. "I just hope we can break the news to someone supportive first – like Derek or Callie."

"And where does Cristina Yang rank on your scale of supportive people to break the news to first?" Alex asked as Cristina approached them.

"Hmm…less supportive than Derek, but more supportive than Bailey," Addison assessed. "Okay, here we go."

"Alex," Cristina began, as she walked closer to where Alex and Addison were standing, "I was wondering where you…whoa, Dr. Montgomery, what are you doing here? Holding Alex's hand? Wait, are you two a couple?" Cristina asked, confusion lacing her features.

"We are," Alex told her.

"Why?" Cristina asked bluntly. "Alex, you didn't do something stupid like knock her up or something, did you?" Cristina accused, as she watched Alex and Addison exchange a glance. "Oh, wow, you did, didn't you," Cristina said in surprise. "Well that's just, wow, I mean, how did that even happen?"

"Come on, Yang," Alex teased. "Do you really need me to explain the birds and the bees to you?"

"That's not what I meant," Cristina retorted. "I mean, you guys don't even live in the same state…and you're having a baby together. How long has this been going on?"

"Well, I'm sixteen weeks along, and we've been a couple for about a day," Addison supplied.

"Yeah, but I've wanted you for a lot longer than that," Alex said softly, meeting Addison's eye.

"So, wait, let me get this straight," Cristina said slowly. "You two are a couple, like a real couple, like a happy couple, and you're having a baby together, like on purpose?"

"Looks like you're putting that M.D. and PhD to good use, Yang," Alex teased.

"This is unreal. I mean, you two…together, and a baby. I, I, I don't know what to say."

"Most normal people would say congratulations," Alex offered, "but social etiquette has never really been your thing, so you do what feels right to you."

"I just, I just can't believe it," Cristina said. "Listen to me, I'm stammering. I never stammer. This is totally throwing me off my game. I mean, Karev, you just insulted me, and I can't even think of a comeback. Seriously, I've got nothing."

"Well, while you work on a comeback, we're gonna go talk to the chief," Alex smirked. "Later, Yang."

"Yeah, bye, whatever," Cristina said distractedly. "This is all still too weird."

"So that could have gone worse," Addison chuckled, as she and Alex walked away from Cristina.

"Yeah," Alex agreed. "So that's one down; how many to go?"

"Let's just worry about getting through our meetings with Richard first," Addison said. "Then we can tell everyone else…if Yang doesn't beat us to it, that is."

xxxxx

"So, I take it the chief offered you a job here?" Alex asked as he approached Addison, who was busy reading the chart in hands.

Addison smiled as she looked up from the chart and nodded. "I even have a consult today. You want in?"

"Well, considering that I _am_ working with you today, I'm already in," Alex smirked. "So, let's see what we've got," Alex said, reading over Addison's shoulder, "Annie Jenson, fifteen-years old, twenty-six weeks pregnant, possible IGUR…okay."

"Hi, Annie, how are you feeling?" Addison smiled as she and Alex entered Annie's exam room.

"I'm okay," Annie answered in a quiet voice. Alex and Addison exchanged a glance; Annie's chart may have said that she was fifteen, but she looked so much younger.

"That's good," Addison said, still smiling reassuringly. "My name is Dr. Montgomery, and this is Dr. Karev," she added, motioning towards Alex. Alex gave Annie his most comforting smile. "Do you have any family here with you?" Addison asked. "Sometimes it's nice to have someone in the room with you; it makes things a little more comfortable."

Annie shook her head.

"Okay, well, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask me or Dr. Karev. We're here to make things as relaxed as we can for you, okay?"

Annie nodded.

"Okay, let's take a look then," Addison said.

After a couple of minutes, Alex and Addison exchanged a worried look over Annie's head. "Annie, it appears that your baby has Intrauterine Growth Restriction," Addison started. "This means that your baby is smaller than it should be at this point."

Annie nodded, her eyes wide.

"This could be nothing," Addison said, sensing Annie's nervousness. "Sometimes babies are just small. But it could also mean that your baby isn't getting enough oxygen and nutrients to grow and develop properly. Dr. Karev and I are going to run a couple of tests to rule out chromosomal abnormalities, like Down syndrome or any other types of birth defects. Do you have any questions that maybe I could answer for you before we get started?"

Annie shook her head.

"Okay," Addison sighed. "Are you sure we can't call someone for you? A parent, a friend, the baby's father?"

"No, that's okay," Annie said quietly. "Thanks, though."

Addison nodded. "Okay, we'll be back in a little while to run the tests," she said, as she and Alex made their way towards the door.

They were almost out of the room when they heard Annie's quiet voice. "Dr. Montgomery, is my baby going to be alright?"

Alex and Addison turned to face Annie. "We're going to do everything we can," Addison reassured her.

"You're in really good hands," Alex added. "Dr. Montgomery is the best there is."

Annie nodded. "Okay. It's just, well, sometimes I think it would be better if maybe my baby wasn't okay," Annie mumbled sadly.

"What do you mean?" Addison prodded gently, sitting down next to Annie.

Annie sighed, "It wasn't like this was a planned pregnancy or anything. I'm actually a good kid. I get good grades, I wanted to go to college, I was even thinking about becoming a doctor. But I guess this is as close as I'll ever get to working at a top-tier hospital…being a patient here."

"Annie," Addison said softly, "you don't have to give up on those dreams."

"It's kind of hard to go to school and support a child," Annie countered. "And I'd feel bad giving my baby up for adoption."

"Why's that?" Alex asked gently, sitting down across from Addison, on Annie's other side. "There's no stigma attached to it, you know that, right?"

Annie shrugged, "I don't know, it's just, I already let my family down by getting pregnant. I feel like if I give my baby up for adoption, I'll be letting him or her down too. You know, my baby will think I didn't love it enough to keep it."

"Annie," Addison began, "there are lots of different ways to show someone that you love them. And a lot of times, the things that we think we're supposed to do, you know, the empty clichés…they're not always the most effective way of showing our love. If your dream is to go to college and med school and, one day, become a doctor, then go after that. There are lots of women who can't have children, who dream of having a baby. Trust me; I know…The point is, you can find your baby a good home with parents who love it."

"And deciding to give your child up for adoption doesn't mean you love him or her any less," Alex added. "It means you want your child to have a better life than you can provide for him or her. I don't think you'd be letting your baby down by giving it up for adoption…if that's what you want, of course."

"So, you don't think it would be selfish of me?" Annie asked, eyes brimming with tears.

"Of course not," Addison said, patting Annie's arm reassuringly. "Being able to recognize that someone else can provide for your child better than you can, and being able to give your child up…that's one of the most unselfish things you can do."

"Thanks," Annie said smiling weakly. "Thanks for listening to me…and for not judging me…and for the advice."

"Hey, we don't judge," Alex said with a chuckle. Then, growing serious, he added, "You're a good kid. You have a great future ahead you. So does your baby."

"See," Annie said tearfully, "people like you …you should be parents. Any child would be lucky to have either of you as a parent. People like you make good parents…not scared kids like me."

"You'll be a good parent too," Addison assured her, "when you're ready."

"Yeah," Alex agreed. "For now, though, we'll just look forward to reading about your accomplishments in medical journals."

xxxxx

"Do we have to go to this?" Alex whined as he and Addison drove to Meredith and Derek's house.

"Alex, you make it sound like you're going to a dentist appointment. We're spending a relaxing evening hanging out with our friends. Yes, we have to go to this," Addison said.

"I know," Alex conceded. "It's just I can think of a lot of other things I'd rather be doing."

"Such as?"

"Well, they all revolve around the same theme," Alex smirked. "You, me, no clothes. I mean, our friends are great and all, they just don't quite fit into the theme I was going for tonight."

"Well, I guess we could always leave early," Addison said thoughtfully.

"Or just not go," Alex suggested.

"No, we're going," Addison told him firmly. "Derek and Meredith were nice enough to invite us over tonight; the least we can do is show up. If we're going to be staying in Seattle, we need to at least make an attempt to be sociable with our friends."

"Fine, I guess I'll settle for leaving early," Alex conceded as he and Addison got out of the car and made their way towards Derek and Meredith's house. Once inside, they sat down with Derek, Mark, and Callie in the living room, while Meredith, Arizona, Cristina and Owen played with Zola and Sophia in the family room.

"So do you know if you guys are having a boy or a girl?" Derek asked Addison and Alex.

Addison shook her head, "Not for another two weeks."

"Have you started discussing names, or are you going to wait until you know the sex to start thinking about names?" Callie asked.

Alex smiled, "We talked about names a lot on the drive from LA to Seattle, but we can't agree on anything."

"It's surprisingly hard to come up with a name," Addison added. "I mean, there are so many rules."

"_Addison_ has so many rules," Alex clarified.

"Rules?" Mark asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, like we obviously can't name our child after an ex of any kind," Addison started.

"That's too bad," Derek said. "I've always liked the name Derek."

"And Mark makes a nice middle name," Mark chimed in.

"Hmm…Derek Mark Karev," Callie said with a chuckle. "Hey, Addie, that's the exact order that you sl-"

"Callie Torres, don't you dare finish that sentence," Addison warned her friend.

"Yeah, I think we're gonna pass on that name," Alex smirked.

Mark and Derek shrugged. "Your loss," Derek teased. "Although, luckily for you, Karev, the no ex rule saves you from naming your child Skippy if you have a boy."

"Yeah, because I was really fighting hard for that name," Addison said sarcastically.

"It probably doesn't matter anyway," Alex cut in, taking Addison's hand in his, "we both think we're having a girl."

"Okay, so what other rules to you have?" Callie asked.

"Well initials are important. We don't want our child's initials to spell out something embarrassing or even spell something at all," Addison said.

"Wait, I'm confused," Mark said.

"You know, we don't want our child's initials to be something like A-S-S or P-M-S or anything like that," Addison explained.

"Neither of you have last names that end in S," Callie pointed out, "so there's absolutely no way that your child will end up with the initials A-S-S."

"That's right," Addison agreed, "because we decided to break the A trend."

"No, because neither of your last names start with S," Callie laughed.

"So what's the A trend?" Derek asked. "Do I want to know?"

"Both Addison and her brother's names start with A, and my name and my siblings' names start with A, so Addison, I mean, we…_we_ decided that we want something different for our child," Alex supplied with a chuckle. Addison and her crazy rules.

"Plus, that way you can make sure that your kid doesn't end up with the initials A-S-S," Callie teased.

"You're an A-S-S," Addison shot back.

"You've clearly been in LA for too long," Callie laughed. "Your comebacks are weak." Then growing serious, she added, "But it's nice to have you back, Addie. It really is."

Addison smiled, "It's nice to be back." Then, shooting Alex a suggestive look, she faked a yawn, "Well, it looks like it's getting late; I think we're going to head home."

"Good idea," Alex agreed glancing at his watch.

"Very convincing," Mark muttered sarcastically.

"Excuse me?" Addison asked.

"I'm with Mark," Callie chimed in. "No one's buying what you're selling."

"I'm not following," Addison replied.

"You're checking out of here early to go home and have sex," Mark supplied. "You've been undressing each other with your eyes all night; quite honestly, I'm surprised you're still here." Derek and Callie nodded in agreement.

"This is why I prefer hanging out with hanging out with Meredith and Cristina," Alex said dryly. "Anyway, we're gonna get going."

"Have a good night, you two," Callie teased.

"Hey, Addie, you're staying at the Archfield, right?" Mark asked.

"Yeah; why?" Addison responded.

"Try to keep it down," Mark warned. "I can tell you from personal experience, the guests there are not above filing a noise complaint…or twenty."


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: I hope you're enjoying the story. Here's the next chapter. I'd love to hear what you think; reviews are greatly appreciated!

* * *

><p><em><strong>Sweet Child of Mine<strong>_

**Chapter 10: She Will Be Loved**

"Everything looks good…really good," Addison's OB, Dr. Stephanie Laurence, said as she ran the ultrasound transducer over Addison's abdomen, tilting the screen towards Alex and Addison so that they could get a better look.

Addison turned her attention away from the screen, and smiled at Alex, who was sitting beside her, gently rubbing her hand, his eyes glued to the image on the screen. "It still feels so weird being on this side of things," Addison laughed. "I'm so used to being the one giving the ultrasound."

Alex looked at her and smiled. "I know, I'm still trying to wrap my head around this," he admitted. "I mean, I knew we were having a baby, but hearing the heartbeat and actually being here for the ultrasound…it just makes things a million times more real."

"So, do want to find out the baby's sex today?" Dr. Laurence asked.

Alex and Addison both nodded.

Dr. Laurence smiled, "Okay." Then, turning to Addison, she asked, "Do you want to read it for yourself? After all, you _are_ the best."

Addison smiled warmly at her colleague, "No, you should tell us. Right now, I'm not a doctor."

"Okay, well, let's take a look then," Dr. Laurence said. After a moment, she smiled. "Congratulations," she told them. "You're having a little girl."

"Seriously?" Addison asked.

"Seriously," Dr. Laurence responded. "Here, take a look," she said motioning towards the screen.

"I can't believe it," Alex said, smiling widely. "A little girl."

"Why don't I give you two a minute," Dr. Laurence smiled, as she stepped out of the room.

"Looks like we were right," Addison laughed, as she wiped the gel from her stomach. "I'm so excited to start shopping for her now."

"I, I don't even know what to say; we're having a girl," Alex grinned, before kissing Addison softly on the lips. It was meant to be a quick kiss, but both were so overcome with emotion that it quickly became deeper and more passionate. "Ad-Addison, what are you doing?" Alex asked in surprise when she began removing his shirt. "We can't do this here."

"Sure we can," Addison mumbled between kisses. "Quick, lock the door. We don't need Stephanie walking in on us."

"Addison," Alex tried to protest, as Addison began fumbling with his pants. "You know I never turn down sex with you and I'm definitely in the mood…but here?"

"Why not?" Addison asked innocently, as she removed her own top.

Alex felt his resolve begin to slip away but, still, he tried to fight giving in. "Do you know how many rules we'd be breaking?" he panted, while Addison began leaving trails of kisses down his body.

"Since when do either of us follow the rules?" Addison murmured against his lips. "Besides, this kind of stuff happens all the time."

"I'm pretty sure it doesn't," Alex chuckled.

"Well, it should," Addison insisted before crashing her lips against Alex's and letting her hands roam up and down his body.

"Okay, okay," Alex agreed, breathing heavily, eyes dark with desire. "This seems like as good a place as any."

"Good," Addison said with a triumphant smile. "Now lock the door."

xxxxx

_2 months later:_

"Karev, you made it!" Derek exclaimed as Alex walked into Joe's bar.

"Have a seat, man," Mark smiled. "We already bought your first drink."

"Awesome," Alex grinned. Callie was throwing Addison a baby shower that afternoon, so Mark and Derek told Alex that they wanted to take him out for a couple of drinks while the girls were doing their thing. A guys' version of a baby shower, they called it.

"Um, okay, so where's my drink?" Alex asked as his eyes scanned the bar area near Derek and Mark.

"Right next to me," Mark laughed.

"Um, dude, I'm pretty sure a chick's sitting next to you," Alex smirked. "Check out the cosmopolitan."

"Nope. That's your drink," Derek said innocently.

"What?" Alex asked in confusion.

"We told you this was a guys' version of a baby shower," Derek explained. "You honestly didn't think we were just gonna sit around and drink beer did you?"

"Oh, you did, didn't you?" Mark teased, as he took in Alex's dumbfound expression. "Sorry, Alex, that's not gonna happen. And since you're having a girl, what's more appropriate than a pink drink?"

"You guys are ridiculous," Alex said shaking his head. "Why aren't you drinking cosmos? Aren't we supposed to be celebrating together?"

"It' not our baby shower," Derek said simply, as if it were the most obvious answer in the world.

"Right," Alex smirked, taking a picture of his pink drink on his phone and sending a text a sneakily as he could.

He wasn't sneaky enough. "Who are you texting a picture of your pink drink to?" Mark asked.

"Like you even need to ask," Derek laughed.

"Shut up," Alex shot back. "I thought Addison might like it," he mumbled.

"Oh, Karev, Karev, Karev," Mark chuckled. "Addison has you wrapped around her little finger."

"Whatever, dude," Alex retorted.

"Hey, that's all well and good," Derek chimed in. "Just know that as much as we've grown to like you, we're on Addison's side every time. So don't screw things up, and consider yourself warned."

"Fair enough," Alex said. "So, I didn't realize that the point of tonight was to threaten me. Shouldn't we be drinking or enjoying ourselves or something?"

"Alright, Karev," Derek agreed. "I'd like to make a toast," he said, raising his glass of scotch. "To Alex and Addison's baby girl."

"Here, here," Mark said, raising his own glass of scotch and clinking it against Derek and Alex's glasses.

"Thanks guys," Alex smiled, as he took a sip of his cosmopolitan. He had barely put his drink down when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

"Did Addison like the picture?" Mark asked with a smirk, as Alex pulled his phone out of his pocket.

Alex's eyes widened as he read Addison's text. "I'm sorry, guys," he began, "but it looks like one of you is gonna have to finish my pink drink for me. One of my patients, Annie, just went into labor; I have to meet Addison at the hospital."

"But wait," Derek cut it, "isn't Addison supposed to be at-"

"Her own baby shower," Alex finished. "Yeah. She just left it. Anyway, sorry I can't stay. Thanks for the drink," Alex said as he got up from his seat at the bar and made his way towards the door.

When he arrived at the hospital, Addison was already there consulting Annie's chart. "Hey," Alex smiled, leading Addison into an empty corridor and wrapping his arms around her.

"Cute drink," she smirked. "I'm sorry you couldn't stay and finish it."

"No you're not," Alex shot back. He knew how much Addison was missing martinis and red wine…almost as much as she was missing her high heels and sleek designer clothes.

"Okay, maybe I'm not," Addison admitted, lingering in Alex's embrace.

"So how was the baby shower?" Alex asked, bringing his hand to Addison's stomach and caressing it softly.

"Short," Addison answered. "I kind of feel like I'm being a bad mother already; I mean, who leaves their own baby shower? Addison asked.

"Hey, something came up. Nobody thinks you're a bad mother," Alex reassured her. "Why? Did anyone say anything about you checking out early?"

"No, of course not," Addison replied. "I think everyone was actually pretty relieved that things got cut short. I mean, my friends aren't exactly the baby shower type. Although, Yang did say it was the best baby shower she ever went to…you know, because it ended so quickly."

"Unsurprising," Alex smirked. "Hey, the baby's kicking like crazy," he grinned, as he continued running his hand over Addison's stomach.

"Yeah, she is," Addison agreed. "She's probably pissed at me for leaving the baby shower early; she's probably kicking me out of spite."

Alex chuckled.

"So you're sure that leaving my own baby shower doesn't make me a bad mother?" Addison asked.

"Definitely not," Alex chuckled. "You chose to help a scared young girl over staying at a party with your friends. If that makes you a bad parent, then I'm right there with you."

"Thanks," Addison smiled. "I kind of needed that. Let's go check on Annie."

xxxxx

"It's a boy," Alex announced, as cries filled the hospital room. "A healthy baby boy."

"You did awesome," Addison said softly to Annie, who was still tightly holding her hand. Addison and Alex had decided that, since the delivery was a relatively routine one, Alex would deliver the baby while Addison coached Annie through the birth.

"Do you want to hold him," Alex asked Annie, once the baby had been cleaned up.

Annie looked at Addison questioningly.

"It's your choice," Addison told her gently. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to do."

"I, I think I want to hold him," Annie said hesitantly.

"Okay," Alex smiled placing the baby in the young girl's arms. "Why don't we give you a couple of minutes," he said as he and Addison began to leave the room.

xxxxx

"How are you feeling?" Addison asked when she stepped back into Annie's room a few hours later.

"Sore…tired…drained," Annie answered.

"I can only imagine," Addison said. "I met your son's adoptive parents; they seem great."

"They are," Annie said emphatically. "They're really great. They've been trying to have a baby for years without any luck, so they'll really make Jacob feel loved. They're calling him Jacob."

"That's a nice name," Addison complimented.

"It's very Twilight-ish, and I can't decide if that's a good thing or a bad thing," Annie said with a chuckle. "But, yeah, I like it. They let me choose his middle name."

"Really? What'd you choose?"

"Alexander," Annie said, turning a little red. "After Dr. Karev. What do you think?"

"I think we shouldn't tell Dr. Karev about this," Addison laughed. "He's already cocky enough." Then growing serious she added, "But Jacob Alexander does have a nice ring to it."

"Yeah," Annie smiled. "I like it."

"Wait, Jacob's adoptive parents'…their last name is Sawyer, right?" Addison asked.

"Yeah. Why?" Annie asked in confusion.

"Initials," Addison explained. "J.A.S is fine, but could you imagine if your son had my last name? J.A.M…not so good."

"Do people actually worry about that?" Annie asked.

Addison shrugged, "I do."

Annie laughed slightly, "Well, I guess Jacob won't have to worry about bad initials."

"Hey, he's already off to a good start," Addison smiled.

"He's gonna have a good life," Annie said confidently.

Addison nodded in agreement. "He's a lucky baby."

"Yeah," Annie smiled. "You know, your baby's gonna be really lucky too. You and Dr. Karev are gonna make amazing parents."

"Oh, Dr. Karev and I, we're, um," Addison stammered.

"You're together," Annie said simply.

"We, um…how did you know that?" Addison asked incredulously. Part of her was scolding herself for sharing details about her personal life with her patient, but another part of her was very curious. She and Alex were the picture of professionalism; how could Annie possibly know that they were a couple?

Annie shrugged, "I'm a fifteen-year-old girl. Relationships and stuff…that's what I do. It's like a sixth sense or something. And you two are much easier to read than the couples in my high school."

"Hey Annie," Alex said, peeking his head into the room, "your mom's out in the waiting room. She's been out there since you were first checked in. I think she'd really like to see you."

Annie shook her head.

"Why don't you give us a minute," Addison said softly, meeting Alex's eye.

"Okay," Alex nodded before disappearing into the hallway.

Annie sighed, "I know, I'm a horrible person. My mother drove me to the hospital today and offered to stay in here with me while I gave birth, but I didn't want her in here. I couldn't do that to her."

"What do you mean?" Addison asked gently.

"It's just, I let her down so much by getting pregnant, and I don't know how to act around her anymore. I mean, I was such a good kid and now I'm… I'm a huge let down. So making her stay in here with me while I gave birth would have just reminded her just how big of a disappointment I am."

"Annie, you're anything but a disappointment," Addison reassured her patient. "I mean, your mother probably didn't plan on you getting pregnant at fifteen, but things happen."

Annie shrugged, unconvinced. "I probably ruined any plans my mother ever had for me," Annie said dryly.

"You know," Addison began, "my mother always used to say, 'People plan and God laughs.' So, okay, your life may not have turned out exactly how your mother planned, but the important thing is that she's here now."

"She's gonna hate me. She's gonna be so mad," Annie said quietly.

"Your relationship with your mother might not be exactly what it was before you got pregnant," Addison admitted. "But trust me, it's a relationship worth fighting for. You have to trust me on this. You should really see her."

"Okay," Annie conceded. "But maybe we can just wait one more minute," she bargained.

"Okay," Addison laughed.

The two sat quietly for a moment before Addison broke the silence. "So," she began, "I've delivered enough babies during my career and read enough anatomical material to know that giving birth is excruciatingly painful. But this is going to be my first time actually giving birth, so…on a scale of one to ten, how painful is it?"

"One low, ten high?" Annie asked.

"Yeah."

"Eleven," Annie said simply. "Definitely eleven."

"Yeah," Addison said, sighing heavily, "I was afraid of that."


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: I hope that people are still reading/enjoying this story. Here's the next chapter. I hope you like it!

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><p><em><strong>Sweet Child of Mine<strong>_

**Chapter 11: My Girl**

"Shit, Alex, wake up," Addison said, gently shaking Alex awake.

Alex sat straight up, a concerned look on his face. "Addison, are you okay? What's up?"

"We have to go to the hospital; I'm in labor."

"Seriously?" Alex asked, as he hurried to get dressed.

"Seriously," Addison groaned, as she felt a contraction hit.

"I'm going to be a father," Alex said with a smile. The smile was quickly replaced with a look of panic, "Holy shit, I'm going to be a father," he repeated, his breathing becoming slightly constricted. "Ad-Addison, I, I don't know if I can do this. I mean, what if, what if I'm not a good father?"

"Alex," Addison said sharply, "you've had nine months to prepare for this – now is _really_ not the best time for you to be having this little freak out."

"Not true," Alex protested. "I've only had eight months, one week, and five days, minus the time that-"

"Are you really going to argue with me over this, right now? Do you really think this is the best use of our time?" Addison asked him exasperatedly.

"No, no, of course not. You're right," Alex admitted as he began to compose himself. "I'm good, seriously, I'm all good now. I'm sorry for freaking out," he apologized, pulling Addison into his arms and kissing her softly on the lips. "I'm good now, I swear," he promised her. He dropped to his knees and gently placed a kiss on Addison's stomach. "I'm sorry for freaking out, Baby Girl," he whispered. "I can't wait to meet you." Then, meeting Addison's eyes and giving her his most reassuring smile, he said softly, "Okay, I'm ready for this; are you?"

"Yeah," Addison smiled. "Call Stephanie and let her know we're on our way. I'm just going to put on a little make-up and I'll be ready to go."

"Wait, what?" Alex asked, trying to conceal a chuckle.

"Call Stephanie," Addison repeated.

"Yeah, I got that part," Alex smirked. "What I don't get is why you need to put make-up on to give birth."

"Alex," Addison pleaded.

"Addison, you've delivered hundreds, maybe even thousands of babies…you know that no one's going to be judging you on your appearance."

"Alex, in the time that we've spent arguing, I could have applied foundation and blush," Addison shot back.

"Addison," Alex chided, not sure whether to be amused or annoyed.

"It won't take long," Addison promised. "I'll go for a subtle look."

"What does that even mean?" Alex asked, confusion lacing his features.

"Come on, Alex, you lived with women; you never read any of your roommates' magazines."

"Okay, so I've glanced at the occasional issue of Cosmopolitan, but it's not like I read them extensively," Alex confessed.

"Very cute," Addison smiled. "Okay, so there are different types of looks that you can go for when you apply make-up," Addison explained before Alex could protest more. "A daytime look, which is more subtle, a nighttime look, which is more dramatic and takes more time, a"

"Addison," Alex interrupted, "I'm pretty sure that none of your girly magazines offer tips on how to achieve an 'I'm about to give birth' look."

"Well, it may not be phrased in those exact terms," Addison admitted, "but I'll have you know, in the time we've spent arguing, I could have applied eyeliner and mascara."

"Fine," Alex grumbled. "I'll call Stephanie. You put on make-up, not that you even need it. Just remember how nice I'm being to you right now in a couple of hours, okay?"

Ten minutes later, Alex returned to his and Addison's bedroom. "Stephanie's gonna meet us at the hospital," he said, but quickly realized that he was talking to nobody. Addison wasn't in their bedroom or in the bathroom attached to it. "Addison?" Alex called out nervously. "Addison?" he repeated, as he made his way out into the hall. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Addison standing in the baby's room. "Hey, you ready to go?" he asked, lacing his fingers through hers.

"Yeah," Addison said. "It's crazy, though…the next time we're in here, we'll have our daughter with us."

Alex smiled.

"You think she'll like it?" Addison asked, gesturing towards the nursery.

Alex took in the room and smiled. It had taken them several months and countless arguments, but they finally agreed on a purple nursery with an elegant dark mahogany crib and matching furniture. With Addison's impeccable taste and flair for accessorizing, it looked like a nursery straight out of one of those high-end catalogs. "Addison, this is honestly the most amazing nursery I've ever seen. She's gonna love it," Alex reassured his girlfriend. "But we really should get you to the hospital."

"Okay," Addison acquiesced, turning off the light and shutting the door to the nursery. "Let's go meet our daughter."

xxxxx

_Several hours later:_

"She's even more perfect than I thought she'd be," Addison said softly.

"She's amazing," Alex agreed. "You were seriously amazing too, by the way," he complimented.

Addison smiled. "Thanks. You know, I've seen a lot of babies over the years, but I honestly think she's the cutest baby I've ever seen."

"No contest," Alex grinned. "I still can't get over how perfect she is."

They remained silent for a while, both completely enamored by their newborn daughter, until Alex finally broke the silence. "Hey, why don't I go share the good news with everyone," he suggested. "It looks like you two could use a little girl time."

Addison nodded as she watched Alex's retreating form. Turning her attention back to the baby in her arms, she smiled. "You really are perfect, aren't you?" she said softly. "You know, I've wanted a baby for such a long time, but you…you were worth the wait. I've never done this before…I've never been someone's mother…and I'm sure I'll make lots of mistakes. But I promise you, I'm going to try to be the best mother I can for you." Addison smiled as she adjusted the little pink hat on her daughter's head. "But, you know what," she said softly, "I think we're gonna be okay. Yeah. You, me, and your dad…we're gonna do just fine."

"Teaching her the difference between daytime makeup and nighttime makeup already?" Alex teased as he reentered the hospital room.

"Just telling her how much we love her," Addison smiled, as she placed her daughter into Alex's extended arms.

"I don't think I'll ever get over how cute she is," Alex said, smiling at his daughter adoringly.

"I know," Addison agreed, smiling at the sight of Alex cradling their daughter against his chest. Fatherhood definitely looked good on him.

"So do you two have a named picked out for her?" Stephanie asked as she entered the room.

Addison nodded. "Peyton. Peyton Elizabeth."

"That's nice," Stephanie complimented. "And Montgomery-Karev for the last name, right?"

Alex and Addison both nodded. "Actually, I was thinking," Addison began.

"Why don't I give you two a minute," Stephanie said, stepping out of the room.

Addison waited for Stephanie to leave before continuing. "I know when we were discussing names, I said I didn't want to pass on Forbes to our daughter, you know, because Bizzy and I weren't really close, and I didn't want our daughter to have a million names like I do. But, I don't know, in a way, Bizzy was the one who made me realize that I needed to go after the things I want, and I really want to instill that in our daughter. I know that adding Forbes is going to make her name ridiculously long, and she'll probably hate us for it, but I don't know, a part of me really wants to do it. What do you think? Bad idea?"

"Let's add Forbes," Alex said softly. "You and I both know that nothing is worse than missing an opportunity that could change your life…and I really want Peyton to go after the things she wants too. So let's add Forbes."

"And the ridiculously long name?" Addison asked skeptically.

Alex smiled as he looked down at his daughter in his arms and shrugged, "Look at her. She's adorable; she'll be able to pull it off."


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: I hope you're still enjoying this story. Here's the next chapter – it's a little (a lot) fluffy. I hope you enjoy it! Reviews are greatly appreciated!

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><p><em><strong>Sweet Child of Mine<strong>_

**Chapter 12: The Way I Am**

"Alex, it's an ear infection. They're very common in infants. Addison told me that you put Peyton on antibiotics, so that should start kicking in soon. But I promise you, Peyton's gonna be fine," Callie assured her best friend's boyfriend.

"I know," Alex said shifting the phone slightly, "but she has a fever, and I just-"

"Is it a high fever?" Callie interrupted.

"She's five months old, Callie," Alex sighed. "A fever is a fever."

"Is it a high fever?" Callie repeated.

"Not really."

"I know it's scary the first time your baby gets sick; trust me, I was probably worse than anybody with Sofia. But, Alex, remind me what type of medicine you specialize in."

"Pediatrics."

"And Addison?"

"Neonatal."

"Exactly," Callie said. "So I think Peyton is in really good hands. Although I _am_ touched that you called me – especially since I break bones for a living and don't really deal with babies…well besides Sofia."

"Um, I was actually trying to reach Arizona," Alex chuckled. "Not that I don't appreciate your advice," he added quickly.

"Oh, I see how it is," Callie joked. "But, seriously, Peyton's going to be fine. You should go calm Addie down because, if you're freaking out, I'm sure she's a million times worse."

"Yeah, okay. Thanks, Callie."

"No problem. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Give Peyton a kiss for me."

"Yeah, I will. Thanks again; I'll talk to you tomorrow," Alex said hanging up the phone.

"Arizona probably thinks we're crazy, huh?" Addison said, as she joined Alex on the couch in the living room.

"Um, I actually spoke to Callie and, yeah, she thinks we're pretty crazy," Alex laughed. Then growing serious, he asked, "How's Peyton?"

"I just got her to go down…I don't know how long she'll stay down for, though," Addison sighed. "Poor thing; I really hate seeing her like this."

"I know," Alex agreed, running his hand through his short hair. "She's such a good little baby; it kills me that we can't do anything to make her feel better sooner."

Addison kissed him softly on the lips. "What do you say we go to the bedroom and maybe try to distract ourselves? I mean, it doesn't seem like either one of us is going to get a whole lot of sleep tonight."

Alex grinned, "I like the way you think."

They had just made it into their bedroom when they heard Peyton's cries over the baby monitor. "I've got it," Alex assured Addison, as he made his way out of their bedroom and into his daughter's room.

"Hey, sweetie," Alex cooed, lifting his crying daughter out of her crib. "You don't feel so good do you?" he asked, cuddling her close to his chest. "It's okay," Alex whispered soothingly, as he rubbed soft circles on Peyton's tiny back, while her cries subsided into whimpers. "It's okay, baby girl. Your mom and I are gonna take good care of you."

"Hey, how's she doing?" Addison asked softly from the doorway.

Alex looked up from his daughter and gave Addison a reassuring smile, "Her ear is definitely still bothering her, but I think her fever might be going down a little."

Peyton looked up at Alex, and his heart broke when he saw the exhaustion in his daughter's normally lively brown eyes. "Her eyes look just like mine do when I'm sick," Alex whispered to Addison. For the most part, Peyton looked just like Addison. She had Addison's hair, Addison's coloring, and Addison's bone structure. But her eyes were all Alex's.

"I love that she got your eyes," Addison smiled as she walked over to them, putting one hand on Alex's back and gently stroking Peyton's cheek with the other one. "It's okay, Peyton," Addison whispered to her daughter, "you're gonna feel better soon. I promise." Then turning her attention to Alex, she added, "Her eyes look so droopy and sad; it's killing me."

"I know," he agreed, placing a gentle kiss on the top of Peyton's head, "I hate to look into those eyes and see an ounce of pain."

"You're amazing, you know that?" Addison smiled.

Alex shrugged.

"No, seriously," Addison pressed. "I can't believe that you thought for even one second that you wouldn't be good at this."

"Well, I may be a little biased, but we pretty much have the best baby ever, so I kind of have to bring my A-game all the time."

"Yeah, she is kind of the best," Addison smiled. "But I'm not surprised…she gets it from her dad."

xxxxx

Alex came home after a long day of work, trying his best not to make a lot of noise as he entered the house. Even though Addison, who had had the day off, had told him that Peyton was starting to feel better, he still didn't want to run the risk of waking his daughter. Before making his way to his bedroom, he gently pushed open the door to Peyton's room to check on her. As he moved closer to Peyton's crib, he noticed that his daughter was awake. When Peyton saw Alex, she began kicking her little legs and squirming around excitedly, begging Alex to pick her up.

"Hey Peyton," Alex smiled, taking his daughter out of her crib and cuddling her against his chest. "How are you feeling, sweetie? You look a lot better," he said, kissing his daughter's cheek. "You don't feel so warm anymore; I think your fever's gone. Did Mommy take good care of you today? I bet she did. She's pretty amazing, huh?"

Addison, who was in her room flipping through a medical journal, smiled as she overheard Alex talking to Peyton through the baby monitor.

"You know, Peyton," Alex continued, "I've never felt the way I feel about your mom with anyone else before. Not even close. I mean, she's obviously beautiful, but she's also really smart and funny…and she really sees the good in people. She was one of the first people to make me realize that I'm a decent guy," Alex said, gently stroking his daughter's cheek with his thumb. "And she's strong; your mom's probably the strongest woman I know. I really hope you get that from her. I love her; I really do. And I can't imagine my life without her…or you." Alex paused for a moment, preparing to put his plan into action. "What's that, Peyton?" he asked his daughter, "You miss your mommy? You want her to come in here and see how much better you're feeling? I think she might be asleep," Alex said with a smirk. He knew Addison would be awake and would be able to hear him on the baby monitor. He also knew that Addison wouldn't be able to resist coming in to check on Peyton.

"Watch this, Peyton," Alex whispered to his daughter. As if on cue, Addison entered Peyton's bedroom. "Hey," she smiled.

"Hey, Addie, I hope I didn't wake you," Alex said innocently. "Peyton and I were just having a little heart to heart. She looks much better, by the way."

"You didn't wake me; I was up," Addison smiled. "And from the sounds of it, you and Peyton were having a pretty serious heart to heart."

"Looks like Mommy overheard our little chat, Peyton," Alex grinned. "You better watch out for her," Alex warned his daughter. "I mean, your mom's incredible, but she can be kind of nosey sometimes. She started invading your privacy before you were even born. I bet you didn't know that," he cooed.

"Oh, come on," Addison laughed, rolling her eyes, "I'm not that bad. And the baby monitor's in my room, you know that. What was I supposed to do – cover my ears when I heard you talking to Peyton? Besides, _you_ invited me in here."

Alex chuckled. "I guess I probably should have realized that you _might_ be listening before I started running my mouth. And yes, I did invite you in here," he admitted.

"So did you mean what you said? You know, everything you just said…did you mean it?" Addison asked.

"Only every word of it," Alex said softly. Then, turning his attention to his daughter and bringing her face to his ear, he asked, "What's that Peyton, you want Mommy to hold you? It's so nice of you to forgive her so quickly after she eavesdropped on us; I'm not so sure I've forgiven her yet," Alex smirked as he placed Peyton in Addison's arms. "Make sure you hold her tight," he told Addison.

"Really, Alex?" Addison asked in annoyance. "Have you forgotten what I do for a living?"

"Of course not," Alex grinned. "I just wanted to make sure you were holding her tightly before I did this," he explained, as he got down on one knee, reached into his pocket, and revealed a beautiful princess cut diamond ring.

"Oh my God, Alex," Addison gasped.

Alex couldn't help but smile at the sight before him – his two favorite girls. Sure, this wasn't the fancy restaurant proposal or the proposal after a romantic hike. It was simple. It was genuine. It was them. "Addison," Alex began, "you've already made me the happiest man in the world. You make me believe that I deserve to be happy, that I deserve to experience the type of love that you hear about but never really believe you can have. I can't imagine my life without you, and I don't want to. You're the only woman I'd want to have a child with. You're the only woman I want to spend the rest of my life with. You've changed my life in ways that nobody else has. You made me a father. You made me a better doctor. You made me a better man. So, please, Addison, I'm asking you to change my life one more time by making me your husband. Will you marry me?"

"Of course I'll marry you," Addison smiled, crashing her lips against Alex's. "Alex, I love you so much," she said breathlessly when they finally broke apart.

"I love you so much," Alex said softly. "And, Peyton, you were just a perfect little baby," he complimented his daughter. "This would have been a very different proposal if you were fussy, so thank you for that, sweetie," he said, kissing the top of his daughter's head.

"I still would have said yes…even if she had cried through the whole proposal," Addison said with a soft smile.

"Oh, I know," Alex smirked.

Addison sighed, "Peyton, if you get your father's arrogance, I swear-"

"Oh, don't listen to her, Peyton," Alex interrupted. "You mom loves my arrogance…or at least she's willing to put up with it 'til death do us part."

"Hmm…what do you say we put Peyton to bed and celebrate our engagement properly?" Addison asked, raising an eyebrow suggestively, as she rubbed soft circles on her daughter's back.

"Sounds perfect," Alex smiled.

A few hours later, when they were lying in bed together, Addison turned to Alex, "I thought you said you were a simple guy," she said.

"I am. What are you talking about?" Alex asked.

"The ring," Addison explained, "that ring is anything but simple. Not that I don't appreciate it, Alex, because I do, but how, how were you able to afford something like that?"

Alex grinned, "My little secret."

"Tell me," Addison begged.

Alex sighed, "Fine. But I don't take back what I said before – you are nosey."

"Just tell me already," Addison chuckled.

Alex laughed, "One of my best friends from med. school, his father's a jeweler; owns this really high-end jewelry store. So every time one of the guys from our med. school group gets engaged, his father cuts us a ridiculously good deal on engagement rings."

"Hmm…not a bad friend to have," Addison smiled. "I wouldn't have minded a simple ring; you know that, right?"

"Addison, if I thought for one minute that you seriously cared about the type of engagement ring I gave you, I never would have proposed to you. It's just, I liked this ring. I mean, I don't know much about jewelry…it all kind of looks the same to me, but when I saw this ring, I don't know, there was something special about it. It stood out, and I couldn't help but notice it, you know?" Alex finished, meeting Addison's eyes. She was smiling widely. "What?" he asked. "What's with you?"

"Nothing," Addison smiled. "I was just thinking."

"About what?"

"About how I get to spend the rest of my life with you."


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Here's the final chapter. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, favorited, alerted, and followed this story! You guys are the best! I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I hope you liked reading this story. I loved writing it! :) As always, reviews are greatly appreciated – I love hearing what you think! :)

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><p><em><strong>Sweet Child of Mine<strong>_

**Chapter 13: Last Dance**

"Oh, thank goodness, you're not trick-or-treaters," Derek breathed as he opened the front door of his house.

"Nice to see you too, Shepherd," Alex smirked as he and Addison stepped inside.

"No, you don't understand," Derek explained, "there was a miscommunication between me and Meredith and neither one of us got candy for the trick-or-treaters tonight."

"A miscommunication…so that means it was your fault," Addison assessed knowingly.

"Definitely my fault," Derek grinned. "Owen's out getting candy and saving my ass as we speak."

"So what have you been giving the trick-or-treaters in the meantime?" Addison asked.

"Well, the only thing we seem to have a lot of in this house is dental floss…I don't know why…so we've been giving that out."

"Dude, you're worse than those people who give out apples on Halloween," Alex teased. "I hope for your sake Owen comes back soon; kids are gonna start egging your house."

"I can't say I'd blame them," Addison added.

"Your mommy and daddy are so mean to your Uncle Derek," Derek cooed, taking Peyton from Addison's arms. "But not you, Peyton…you love your Uncle Derek, don't you?" he asked, cradling his six-month-old niece in his arms. "You like me better than Uncle Mark, right? You don't care that I give out dental floss on Halloween," Derek chuckled as Peyton reached for his hair with a smile. "Ah, I see you still like my hair…I can't really blame you. Women go crazy over it." Then, turning his attention to Alex and Addison, Derek grinned, "I'm going to go spend some quality time with my niece in living room; you guys are on door duty. The floss is in the red bowl next to the door."

"But Derek," Alex and Addison tried protesting together.

But Derek was already walking away. "Come on, Peyton, let's go say hello to everyone else. Great costume, by the way, baby girl," he complimented. No one could disagree; Peyton looked absolutely adorable in her pink bunny rabbit Halloween costume.

"Did that seriously just happen?" Alex asked as Derek walked away.

Addison shook her head in amusement, "I honestly don't know how he managed to-"

But she was cut off by the sound of the doorbell ringing.

"Please let it be Owen," Addison prayed. No luck. She opened the door to find four kids in costume. "Oh, this is beyond humiliating," she told Alex as she reached for the bowl of dental floss.

"Floss?" one of the kids asked in surprise. "Haven't you guys ever heard of candy?"

"Hey, this isn't our house," Alex defended. "We're just on door duty. And, not for nothing, but you have a very nice selection of floss to choose from. I've always kind of liked the spearmint flavored floss myself."

"Um, okay," one of the children replied, "but this is Halloween. You're supposed to have candy."

"Well, it's a good thing I'm here then," Owen grinned, as he jogged towards the front door.

"Oh, thank goodness you're here," Addison breathed. "We were fighting a losing battle here."

Owen laughed as he dumped the bags of candy that he had just purchased into the bowl of floss. "Here you go kids, take your pick," he said.

"Well, it looks like Derek's going to be able to give out floss again next Halloween," Addison smirked once the trick-or-treaters had left. "It doesn't seem like it's a big hit tonight."

"Honestly, I'm surprised nobody's toilet papered his house yet," Owen admitted.

"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing," Alex agreed.

"Okay, well I made my contribution to Shepherd's Halloween," Owen said. "I'm going to go find Cristina and leave door duty to you two."

"Thanks again man," Alex grinned, as Owen left the room. "You really saved the day."

"So what do you say we ditch door duty, and go join everyone else?" Addison asked Alex a few minutes later.

"Hmm…I like that idea, but I also like standing here in the hallway alone with my fiancé," he said, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her in for a heated kiss.

"Get a room," Derek smirked as he walked by.

Alex and Addison broke apart quickly, trying to hide their embarrassment. "Where's Peyton?" Addison asked, noticing Derek's empty arms.

"I came in here to freshen everyone's drinks," Derek explained. "So Cristina's holding her."

"What?" Alex and Addison asked in alarm. "Why, why would you give Peyton to Yang?" Alex asked.

"Oh, she was rambling on about the triple bypass surgery she performed today. We've all heard her tell the story at least a million times since lunch, but Peyton looked oddly captivated, so Yang took her from me and continued telling the story to her because, you know, no one else was listening. I'm pretty sure she likes your daughter a hell of a lot better than she likes either of you," Derek said with a chuckle.

"Well, that's not saying much," Alex smirked as he and Addison made their way into the living room to join the others. "Well, this is a sight I never thought I'd see, Yang," Alex teased when he saw Cristina sitting on the couch holding Peyton in her arms.

"Oh, quiet, Evil Spawn," Cristina shot back. "Don't get used to this or anything; it's just that, for whatever reason, your kid listens to me better than most of my interns do. I think she may have a knack for cardiothoracic surgery. "

"All I'm hearing is, 'Alex, please add me to your list of babysitters,'" Alex laughed as he took Peyton from Cristina.

"Don't even think about it," Cristina retorted. "Besides, you guys owe me. I was practically the first person to know that you two were dating and having a kid together, and I didn't tell a soul."

"That's only because you were so shocked that you could hardly speak, let alone string coherent sentences together," Alex reminded her with a smirk.

"Hey, what'd we miss?" Meredith asked, as she, Zola, Callie, and Arizona entered the room."

"Not much," Derek smiled, giving his wife a kiss. "The candy situation is now under control. How was trick-or-treating?"

"Good," Meredith replied. "Zola and Sofia had a great time. I think they're ready for you and Mark to take them around our neighborhood, though."

"Excellent," Derek smiled. "Speaking of Mark, where is he?"

"Right here," Mark grumbled, as he entered the room holding Sofia.

"Nice costume," Derek complimented, not even bothering to conceal his laughter, as everyone took in Mark's Superman costume.

"Are you wearing tights?" Addison asked.

"Sofia and I are Superman and Superbaby," Mark explained. "And, yes, I'm wearing tights; they're part of my costume."

"It's a good look for you," Alex laughed.

"Oh, quiet, Karev," Mark shot back. "Talk to me next year, when your daughter's old enough to go trick-or-treating. I can't wait to see what kind of ridiculous costume you end up wearing."

"That cape is very fierce looking," Derek commented. "It's a hard look to pull off…with the cape and the tights…but you're making it work."

"Definitely," Meredith giggled.

"You're all so funny," Mark said dryly. "Are you ready to go trick or treating, Shep?"

"You mean I have to go out in public with you?" Derek teased.

"We had to," Arizona chimed in.

"Please, Derek," Mark smirked, "you're just jealous because your legs wouldn't look half as good as mine do in these tights. You should be honored to be seen with me."

"Well, you two can continue this debate while you take the girls trick or treating," Callie cut in, as Meredith handed Derek Zola, who was dressed up like a bumblebee.

"You're not coming?" Derek asked Meredith, Callie, and Arizona.

"Hey, we already went trick-or-treating in our neighborhood," Callie explained.

"Yeah, we deserve a little adult time," Meredith agreed, as she poured herself some tequila.

"Right," Mark laughed, as he, Derek, Sophia, and Zola began making their way out of the room.

"You sure you're not gonna be cold in that outfit, man?" Derek asked.

"Come on, Shep," Mark sighed. "Let's go."

xxxxx

Addison tiredly rubbed her eyes as she heard Peyton's cries over the baby monitor. She looked over at the clock on her nightstand – 3:14 a.m.

"I've got it," Alex whispered, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. "You were up with her last night."

"Thanks," Addison mumbled groggily, as Alex got out of bed and made his way towards the door.

"Hey, Peyton," Alex smiled at his crying daughter. "You're not so good at sleeping through the night, are you?" he asked, lifting Peyton out of her crib and cradling her against his chest. "Let's see, you don't need to be changed, you're not sick, you shouldn't be hungry. Do you just want to be held? Is that it?" he asked, rubbing soft circles on his daughter's back. "I'll tell you what, I'll do you one better. But no telling Uncle Derek or Uncle Mark about this, okay? They already think I'm going soft." Holding Peyton against his chest and gently swaying with her, Alex began singing.

_She's got a smile that it seems to me  
>Reminds me of childhood memories<br>Where everything was as fresh as the bright blue sky.  
>Now and then when I see her face<br>She takes me away to that special place  
>And if I'd stare too long, I'd probably break down and cry.<em>

_Whoa, oh, oh, sweet child o' mine._  
><em>Whoa, oh, oh, oh, sweet love of mine.<em>

Alex turned to see Addison standing in the doorway, smiling.

"She was having trouble sleeping," Alex explained. "Sleeping through the night doesn't really seem to be her thing."

"I guess we can't complain too much," Addison sighed. "She was very good at Derek and Meredith's tonight."

"She was good," Alex agreed, softly stroking his daughter's cheek with his thumb. "And she looked so freakin' adorable in her bunny rabbit costume."

"So cute," Addison smiled, as she walked over to Alex and Peyton, putting a hand on Alex's back and giving Peyton a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey, Addie?" Alex said softly.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for choosing me."

"What?" Addison asked in confusion.

"Thanks for asking me to have a child with you. I mean, I know you could have chosen almost anyone…but I'm really glad you chose me."

"Alex, I wanted a baby so badly, but having a child with you…and spending the rest of my life with you…I honestly can't think of anything I'd want more than that. So if anything, I should be the one thanking you."

"For what?"

"For refusing to be a sperm donor," Addison said softly. "For being a father. For the look in your eye the first time you held Peyton. For all those nights when I come home late from work and find you asleep on the couch with Peyton sleeping on your chest. For the proud smile that I know will be on your face the when Peyton takes her first steps and says her first words. For loving me when I was a mess. For giving me time to figure everything out. For-"

But Addison was cut off by Alex's lips against hers. "I love you, Alex," she murmured when they broke apart.

"I love you too," Alex said softly. "So much."

They stood there for a moment, lost in each other's eyes, until Peyton's soft cries brought them out of their haze. "Hey, hey, hey," Alex laughed, turning his attention towards his daughter. "We love you too. You know that," he said, gently rubbing Peyton's back. "Oh, I know what you want," he chuckled, holding Peyton securely against his chest with one arm, and pulling Addison against him with the other. "She wants you to dance with us," Alex told Addison, wrapping his arm around her waist.

"I didn't realize you were such a romantic, Peyton," Addison smirked, as she gently stroked her daughter's cheek.

"Oh, Peyton's a hopeless romantic," Alex chuckled, as he started swaying slowly with his fiancé and his daughter. "And really, Addie, who are we to let her down?"

"Well, when you put it that way," Addison acquiesced, wrapping one arm around Alex, and placing the other gently on Peyton's back.

Alex kissed Addison softly on the lips, and couldn't help smiling, as he danced with the two people who had changed his life forever.

_Whoa, oh, oh, sweet child o' mine.  
>Whoa, oh, oh, oh, sweet love of mine.<em>

_xxxxx_


End file.
